Yesterday When the War Began
by TK Takaishi
Summary: A what-if fic based on the digimon movie. What if Diaboromon's missiles had actually impacted, and were not diffused? What if Diaboromon invaded Earth? This was my first fic EVER, so please be gentle!
1. Default Chapter Title

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Yesterday When the War Began, Chapter 1:

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. This fic was produced purely for entertainment purposes, and I promise not to sell it. So there. Don't sue me.

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The young boy stood at the top of the building, gazing down at the scene before him. Physically, he was still a child. He had celebrated his 10th birthday only a month before. His eyes however, were different. He had the eyes and the mind of someone much older. He had seen too much, done too much to ever be the same kid again.

The wind whistled through his blond hair, and he sighed. Even the wind seemed different than it did a day ago. It had seemed warmer then, gentler. When had it become so cold, so uncaring, and so…evil? His small hand clenched tightly around the white hat he carried, and his little orange digimon gazed worriedly at his master. The boy's handsome features seemed set in stone, hard and unyielding, but his emotions were betrayed by his trembling lower lip. He had seen death and destruction before, too many times, it seemed, but never on a scale like this, and he had never imagined it could happen to his hometown and his loved ones.

Tokyo was in ruins. Even an entire day after the incident, hellish fires still raged across huge expanses of the once prosperous metropolis, the light drizzle coming from the lead gray sky doing nothing to quench it.

Tokyo tower had been leveled, entire skyscrapers destroyed. The streets were strewn with rubble, and cars had been abandoned with their doors open as their drivers sought to escape. Corpses littered the streets, and confused, panicked gangs tried to pick their way out of the wreckage, to escape.

The boy turned his gaze on the center of the city. There was literally nothing left. It was as if a gigantic hand had scooped up the center of the city, crushed it, and then littered the remains here and there. A gigantic crater was all that remained of the once busy and bustling downtown streets.

"How did it happen?", he murmured softly. His faithful digimon flew up and perched on his shoulder, trying to offer what solace it could. The boy absent-mindedly petted it. It had only been yesterday when he had been visiting his grandmother with his brother Matt, happily enjoying life. Everything had been all right, everything was perfect. How could it have gone so wrong?

***flashback. One day ago ***

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Who can count backwards from ten?

Tai gaped at the strange e-mail. "What's he trying to do? Teach us math?" he asked Izzy as a countdown from 10 minutes started on the top right hand corner of the screen.

Izzy ignored his friend as he typed furiously on the keyboard of Tai's PC. Then he blanched. "Oh no."

"What?"

"Diaboromon's launched cruise missiles from all over the world. Not nuclear ones, thank God, but they're still aimed at the center of all the major cities of the world. And they'll impact in…" Izzy checked the counter, "exactly 9 minutes and 55 seconds."

This time, Tai almost panicked. He had come close in the last few hours (panicking, that is), but this time the urge to get up and start running, or go crazy almost overwhelmed him. Almost. Instead, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He was the leader of the digidestined. If he couldn't think clearly now, then all was lost.

"WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, did you hear…" Tai began.

"We heard Tai, we're going as fast as we can." WarGreymon growled back. He was well aware that if the Diaboromon weren't all destroyed in 10 minutes or less, then all would be lost. Both of them were speeding down the information highway, as fast as they could. Suddenly, an opening appeared at the end of the tunnel. Instead of the "light at the end of the tunnel", this was the opposite. Instead, it was pitch black, and emanating an almost palpable evil. Both digimon put on an extra spurt of speed as they flew down the final stretch, and burst from the opening.

What they saw stunned them. It was a huge, cavernous opening, and every surface was pulsing with Diaboromon. The walls seemed to be alive with them, writhing black and flashing metallic legs.

"Man, how many of them are there?" Tai managed to gasp after he had gotten over his shock.

"I stopped counting a while ago. There should be well over a million by now!!"

Countless black heads turned as one, taking notice of the intruders. WarGreymon recovered from his shock first. "Terra Force!" he exclaimed as he launched his attack in a random direction. The way he figured it, there were so many of them, he didn't have to aim.

The orange ball of energy hit home, blasting a score of the black spiders, but the net effect was nothing. The gap was instantly swallowed up again by the legions of Diaboromon there.

"_Mega Blast_" (** sorry I forgot their attack), millions of sibilant voices whispered as one. Orange, flaming meteors streaked from the walls, focusing on the 2 Mega digimon. Both of them tried to dodge out of the way, but the countless e-mails from all over the world slowed them down. Even if they had been completely up to speed, it would have been impossible to dodge anyway. The shots came thick as hail, tremendously powerful, and impossible to avoid.

Dodging and weaving, they valiantly tried their best to dodge them all, but it was impossible. Twisting through all three planes at once, flipping about in a blur, it was still too slow. WarGreymon was hit first, a shot catching him on the back and flipping him over, a roar of pain ripped from his mouth. MetalGarurumon, momentarily distracted by his partner's predicament, was hit as well. Thrown off course, both of them started drifting randomly. Immediately, countless blasts rained down on their armour before they could catch their breath and start dodging again.

Wheeling around, both megas were pummeled over and over, all over their heavily armoured body by the orange meteors. Too overwhelmed to try and fight back, they curled into a ball and tried to absorb the impacts as best they could, but the shots kept coming, and coming, and coming…

"Izzy, what's the matter!!?" screamed Tai. "Why can't they dodge them? Why can't they fight back?"

"It's the e-mails!! They're slowing their processing speed down!!" Izzy gasped back over his shoulder as he pounded furiously on the keyboard. "Guys, I know you mean well, but you're really hurting our cause right now! You've got to stop sending us e-mails!!"

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( for those of you who haven't seen the movie, people from all over the world was watching the fight at the time, and they had been sending countless e-mails to Izzy's laptop, slowing down his processing speed and the digimon)

Then disaster struck, as if it hadn't already. WarGreymon's armour started to crack, then he glowed, and with a sound like gears winding down, he devolved all the way back to Koromon. MetalGarurumon followed a second later. All of a sudden, they were 2 helpless in training. The only blessing was that they were suddenly much smaller than before, so the shots all missed for a crucial split-second.

Tai saw it happen. There was no time to think, no time to balance everything out. If the 2 digimon remained in there for another second, they would surely be killed. He had to trust his instinct on this one.

"Izzy, pull them out…NOW!"

The instant Izzy heard that command, he stabbed down, initiating the program that would pull Koromon and Tsunomon out. In a blinding flash of light, both digimon abruptly disappeared from the monitor, then the entire screen started to glow brilliantly. Two streaks of light shot from it, one hit Tai in the chest and bowled him over, and the other rocketed out the window, in search of Matt.

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Diaboromon, the original one inside the digiworld, saw it happen. His dark, insane mind was disturbed, as a new feeling, one that he had never experienced before in his short life, filled his consciousness…fear. The 2 megas his copies had just blown away had been powerful. Given time, they could grow strong, perhaps stronger than he himself would ever be, and if they were to digivolve together…

The dark virus almost shuddered at the thought. No. This threat had to be eliminated here, now, before it could develop into something more menacing. The 2 digimon had been pulled into the human world, thus they must have had masters, or people outside helping them out. He had stumbled onto a reference of such humans before, the Digidestined, but he hadn't paid much heed, until now.

Stretching out in all directions, his mind spanned the entire length and breadth of the Internet in an instant. Using every last connection he had, he shut down all forms of communication, Internet, e-mail, telephone, TV, radio, satellite…every last communicating device instantly went dark, all around the world. In that one instant, the world stopped cold. Now the Digidestined couldn't contact each other.

Then, he concentrated briefly, and dimensional portals opened all around the chamber. Throwing a thought to his legions to follow him, he dived through the nearest one to the outside world.

A world ripe for conquest. His dark mind almost quivered with anticipation as he felt himself sucked into the real world. The digidestined would fall. He was certain of it.

In less than 15 seconds, the entire chamber was empty.

Tai slowly sat back up, rubbing his chest with one hand, and holding Koromon in the other. The little pink digimon was unconscious, having taken too much of a beating to even notice that it wasn't dead. Vaguely, he noticed that the incessant pinging of arriving e-mail messages had stopped rather abruptly.

"Tai…the countdown…what about those missiles…?"

Tai stared at the numbers rapidly winding down. The counter was now at 5 minutes and counting. _Things can't get any worse_, the cliché phrase flashing through his mind.

That was before Izzy's laptop, hooked up to Tai's PC, started beeping and flashing every alarm that it had. Izzy whirled and pounced on it, staring at the figures and numbers as they scrolled past the screen. "Holy ****."

"Watch your tongue." Tai automatically replied, then he shook his head with a snap. "What is it?"

"The Diaboromon have opened up dimensional rifts between the digiworld and this world. I don't know how they did it without having built a gate beforehand, and without someone on the outside helping them, but they did." Izzy gulped. "They're popping up all over the world. America, Japan, Europe, Asia, South America, _everywhere!!_"

"But how is that possible?! Why would he want to come here himself?"

"I don't know!! I told you already!"

Tai again forced himself to calm down. Diaboromon was coming over, he couldn't stop that. The missiles were going to impact, he can't stop that either. Once those missiles hit, access to the Internet, or any working desktop for that matter, would be next to impossible. He couldn't change that either, so what _could_ he do?

"It's going to be a long, drawn out war…" he mused to himself.

"What was that?"

"It's Myotismon all over again, except on a global scale. Diaboromon's coming over, and we can't stop that, but to defeat him, we'll need our digimon…"

Reacting on gut instinct, Tai threw himself into the chair in front of his PC, and began typing furiously himself, even as he began snapping out orders.

"Izzy, I want you to locate and pull back every one of our digimon. I know, you'll have to find them, but I want them out and into the real world in less than 5 minutes. I have a feeling we'll be needing them soon."

"And what are you doing in the meantime?"

"I'm contacting the others," came the simple reply.

Izzy nodded, then turned back to the computer again. His fingers, began moving across the keyboard so fast, all that could be seen of them was a blur. Windows popped up and closed, folders opened and lines of computer code were typed within the blink of an eye. He knew he had to move fast. To trace and find all the digimon, and then pull them out under 5 minutes, was no easy task.

Tai, at the moment, was feeling incredibly grateful that he had taken that computer course in school last year. Using every hacker's trick he had learned in his short life, compiling all his knowledge from school and from Izzy, he focused it all on breaking through the e-mail ban that Diaboromon had put up over the net. All he needed was 1 second, a one second opening for him to send 4 crucial messages through.

Both boys worked feverishly against time. The small study went deathly silent as they concentrated on their respective tasks. All that could be heard was the plastic clacking of computer keys. Their concentration was total.

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Thirty seconds…

Izzy tied up the remainder of his tracing and extraction programs. His computer teacher would have been appalled at his code, his lack of comments and proper structure, but at this point, he couldn't care less. It worked, and that was all that mattered. Tai finally cracked the e-mail ban. He began to desperately type out a brief message.

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Ten seconds…

The last line of code typed in, Izzy ran his programs, as fast as he could, his mouse pointer flying like mad all over the screen. In a flash, all the programs were up and running full speed. Electronic tracers ran across the entire digiworld at once, searching for, and finding, 6 special digimon, 5 rookies, and 1 champion.

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Five seconds…

Tai feverishly sent his messages, hoping desperately that they would get through. A second later, Izzy's programs began extracting digimon from the digiworld, and his laptop's screen again blazed with brilliant light as the digimon streaked from it and shot out the window, looking for their masters.

At the same instant that Tai sent his messages, they appeared on their recipient's screens. Joe, Mimi, and Kari were nowhere near a computer at the time, so they didn't read it. However, Matt, TK, and by sheer dumb luck, Sora, received the messages.

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One second…

Tai grabbed Izzy's arm and pulled him under the table, covering his head with his other arm. Curling up into a ball, they both braced for the impact, wishing that they could have been in someplace more sheltered.

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Impact.

The digidestined would later recall this as the moment that the whole war began, the moment where, undeniably, they were once again soldiers out to save the world, and no longer simple kids. Matt and TK would later recount that they felt nothing spectacular, since they were out in the country at the time. All they had noticed was a loud explosion sounding somewhere outside. It was only after they had run outside and had seen the mushroom cloud did they realize what had happened.

For all the rest of the Digidestined however, being much closer to the blast, the effects were dramatic.

Windows disintegrated all around them, the ground shook and heaved, and felt like it was going to split apart. Every conceivable piece of furniture or object that was not secured instantly went flying across the room. Dishes, silverware, decorations, pictures, chairs, bookcases… they all tumbled onto their side and shattered. 

Electronics immediately died out, some of the more high-powered devices going out in spectacular explosions as a power surge ran through them. Tai's computer was totaled, but Izzy's laptop, being independently powered, survived. Sora, TK, and Matt's computers had instantly gone dark, but not before they had scanned the message at least once.

And that message would be forever burned into their minds.

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DD. Diaboromon invading. Hide, he'll be looking for you. Get out of Tokyo if you can. Meet at where this all began in 1 week. It's war.

Tai

** Author's note: Well, what do you think? Terrible? Incredible? Remember, REVIEW!! I really need the feedback. Also, don't sue me if I got certain parts of the movie wrong. I'm not like some people who memorize movies line by line. If I got something wrong, tell me, and I'll see what I can do about fixing it. This fic is probably going to be edited _a lot_ before I'm happy with it.


	2. Default Chapter Title

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Yesterday When the War Began, Chapter 2:

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. This fic was produced purely for entertainment purposes, and I promise not to sell it. So there. Don't sue me.

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For poor TK, everything seemed to be happening at once.

First, Tai's fateful message had stunned him.

Then, Patamon had hit him in the face, and he had toppled backwards with a cry.

And finally, the explosion had hit.

From where he was at the time, he hadn't really felt much. Being out on the outskirts of Tokyo, all he had heard was a loud "boom", sounding from somewhere outside. A second later, the windows in the shop he was in rattled as a shockwave passed along the ground.

What he did notice was that their computer had instantly exploded. He had been bowled over by Patamon, so he hadn't been hurt, but Matt got blasted in the face with flying plastic shrapnel. He was lucky he wasn't blinded, but it still left angry red slashes across his cheeks.

A few seconds of stunned silence passed. "What the heck was that?" TK gazed up at his brother.

"Don't know squirt." Matt paused for a second, sorting it out. "Though I think I have a good idea. Didn't Tai say that the Diaboromon were invading?"

TK nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, and he also said something about hiding, and meeting somewhere in a week."

"And didn't Tai mention something about cruise missiles…" Matt trailed off. Both brothers locked gazes with one another, their bright blue eyes widening simultaneously. Wordlessly, they scrambled to their feet, and dashed outside of the little shop they were in.

Even from where they were, they could still see the mushroom cloud as it bloomed into the sky. Where towers and skyscrapers had once stood in the center of Tokyo, only flames were left. A huge, shimmering vortex hung in the sky, a literal living stream of black pouring out of it, and onto the city below. All around them, people began to take notice to what had noticed to Tokyo, and were in the process of panicking, some pointing and shouting, some piling into cars and driving towards the devastated city, others driving as fast as they could away from it.

"Come on!! We've got to help!! We've got our digimon, they'll certainly help in the rescue operation." Matt started striding towards the city, carrying Tsunomon in one hand.

"TK, Tsunomon's too weak to digivolve right now. Have Patamon digivolve and…"

"Matt…" The older, lanky boy stopped as he felt his sleeve being pulled. TK stood there, he looked so young, and so innocent, but his blue eyes were bright and clear, wise and discerning. "We're supposed to be hiding, remember? Tai said that Diaboromon would be looking for us. If there's going to be a war, then we're literally earth's last hope. You know it as well as I do. We certainly can't afford to barge in rashly and get killed for nothing." The maturity and the wisdom behind his little brother's words amazed Matt, but he couldn't just stand by and do _nothing_!

"So what do you suggest? Just let them die? Slaughtered by those Diaboromon?"

"No, Matt, of course not. Let's just do it quietly, rather than flying in with our digimon, let's go some other way," came the tempered reply.

Matt followed TK's gaze to a nearby car. It was old and beat up, but the keys were still in the ignition. Then, he turned back to TK. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked. TK merely nodded.

"Oh what the hell," Matt muttered as he walked up to it and broke the window with his fist, "we're only out to save the world here."

Sora coughed as she heaved the bookcase off her legs. Biyomon lifted hard on the other side, until the bookcase was high enough for Sora to slide her legs out.

"Thanks Biyomon." Sora said as she dusted herself off and took an inventory. She had been lucky. Although the bookcase had fallen on her, she hadn't broken any bones, and could still walk. What haunted her more was the message from Tai she had seen flash across the screen just before her computer, and everything else, had exploded.

"Sora, what's happening?" Biyomon looked up inquiringly at her master.

"I dunno. I think Tai's got a pretty good idea though, judging from that message."

"So what do we do now?"

Sora thought for a moment. Something serious was up, that much was obvious. She didn't know exactly how serious, but judging from the message, and the fact that everything seemed to be falling apart, it was apparently pretty grave. She still had no idea what a Diaboromon was, but apparently it was enough to spook Tai, so it was enough to scare the hell out of her. And what was it that Tai had said? Hide?

"Biyomon, I want you to go out and help my mom. If she's hurt in any way, tend to her, and get her ready to leave at a moment's notice."

Biyomon started flapping towards the door when she noticed that Sora had begun packing some things into a large backpack. "And what are you doing?"

Sora frowned. She had thought that her days as a digidestined was over, that she wouldn't have to fight anymore, but apparently, she had been wrong. "I'm packing. We've got to leave this place. Even though I hate his guts, I trust Tai, and if he says that we've got to hide, then we're going to hide."

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(note to those who haven't seen the movie: Sora doesn't really hate Tai, so don't flame me, Taiora fans. They had a fight recently, but they'll get together again. I promise.)

Biyomon nodded once, then flew out the door. Sora ran around her room, stuffing anything that would be useful in the backpack. She would have to travel light, so she only packed a few clothes. The rest of the space was reserved for something more practical. Food, water, first-aid kit, torches, matches, batteries, digivice…everything went into the pack. 

Sora heaved the pack onto her back, then lastly, she dug out the old hunting knife that she used on camping trips. It was old, but it was durable and deadly sharp. She hoped fervently that she wouldn't have to use it, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She strapped it to her waist, and ran out of the room.

For Joe and Kari, things were even more confused. More so for Joe than Kari. At least Tai had called Kari to tell her about Diaboromon. Joe had gotten no warning at all. One moment he had been slaving over his exam, and the next, half the building had been blown apart, at least 20 exam candidates was lying on the ground dead or dying, and Gomamon had magically appeared.

Kari and Joe reacted similarly. Beckoning their digimon to follow them, they had rushed out of the building they had been in to see what was happening.

What they saw horrified them. Other than the fact that the city had been devastated, there were strange, spider-like digimon flying about through the air, indiscriminately destroying and pillaging, almost as if they were looking for something.

"What the hell's happening? What are those digimon?" Kari screamed over the roar of the panicked crowd trying to escape.

"Don't know! I've never seen them before, but they don't look too friendly if you ask me." Gatomon snapped a reply.

"Not too friendly? Gatomon, they're destroying the city!!"

The crowd was crazed with fear, as digimon smashed buildings into rubble. The falling debris crushed several people, unable to get out of the way fast enough. A telephone pole keeled over, and Kari and Gatomon had to leap out of the way. 

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Kari yelled at the Diaboromon, appalled by the massacre.

"Digivolve?" Gatomon inquired.

Kari turned to the cat-like digimon and nodded. "Do it."  


Gatomon twitched her ears once, then she was suddenly suffused with a white light. Kari's chest suddenly glowed with the crest of light. "Gatomon, digivolve to…"

Her body lost its feline features, becoming taller, leaner, more humanoid. Blond hair and a helmet appeared on her head, and 8 wings sprouted from her back.

"…Angewomon," she finished.

Tai, Koromon, Izzy and Tentomon crawled out from under the desk, covered in dust. Coughing and wheezing, both boys collapsed on the floor, catching their breath.

Izzy recovered first. "What now?" he asked of the panting boy beside him.

Tai glanced at his home. Everything was destroyed, and he couldn't stay here anyway. In fact, he couldn't even stay in Tokyo. Diaboromon would find him, and he just wasn't ready for him, not yet anyway.

"We're leaving Tokyo."

"What? So we're just going to cut and run, just like that?"

Tai was stung by the insult. "No!! We'll be back, but we can't stay here. Diaboromon would find us, and we're not ready yet. There's a time for everything, and now's the time to retreat. I would've thought that you of all people would have figured that out by now."

Izzy and Tai glared at one another for a second, until Izzy was forced to lower his gaze. Tai was right, of course. It was just that it seemed so wrong just to leave like that.

"Fine, we're going, but where to?"

Tai picked himself up, and began packing, much like Sora had. "Tentomon, go outside and help my mom. If she's hurt, help her, but tell her that we have to leave right now. And if you can, get some canned food and water from the kitchen. Move it, we don't have a moment to lose." As he talked, he ran through a list of what he'd need on a trip like this. Tentomon merely dipped his head in affirmation and buzzed out of the room.

"But where are we going?" Izzy insisted, even as he pitched in to begin packing.

Tai didn't turn from his packing. "Just before those missiles hit, as you were extracting our digimon, I sent a message to the others." He didn't have to explain "others", Izzy knew exactly what he meant.

"It's Myotismon all over again, but this time, our enemy's even stronger, and he has at least a million underlings to do his bidding. We can't win if we stay in Tokyo. We have to get together to coordinate, concentrate our strength, plan, and then, and only then, will we be ready to take this world back."

"In the message, I told everyone to meet at "where this all started" in 1 week. No doubt Diaboromon's intercepted the message, but he won't know "where it all started" is. No-one will, except the digidestined." Tai's eyes flashed as he continued to pack. "We're going back to that summer camp where we first got sucked into the digiworld."

Izzy was silent for several seconds. Tai turned his head to make sure that he had heard, and was surprised by what he saw. Izzy's face was hard. It didn't even look like a face anymore, more like a mask. A chilling, emotionless mask.

"You do realize what this means, don't you?" Izzy's voice was quiet, restrained. "This is unlike anything we've ever faced. Our enemy has full control of the Internet. He has his troops stationed in almost every corner of the globe, and he just managed to beat WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon like they were 2 helpless in-training."

The intellectual boy's voice chilled even more as the implications began to sink in. "This won't be something that we can beat in a couple weeks, if at all. Diaboromon won't be like the Dark Masters or Myotismon." 

"This could turn out to be a full-scale war, one that could drag on for years."

"Celestial Arrow!!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!!"

The 2 devastating attacks hit home, and deleted at least 5 Diaboromon immediately. The copies weren't as powerful as the original, and while they could probably defeat most champion level digimon, they were simply no match for the 2 ultimates that they now faced.

Their strength lay in their numbers though. Even now, as the fight attracted more and more attention, Diaboromon flew over to join the fight, concentrating their attacks on the 2 beleaguered ultimates.

Desperately, Kari finally managed to seek out Joe. Being smaller, she could maneuver her way through the panicked crowd easier, and Joe, being rather tall, was easy to spot. "What's happening? What's going on?" Kari gasped out as she finally reached Joe's side.

Joe glanced over to see who had asked him, then turned back to the fight. "Don't know! Not the foggiest. I mean, 1 minute I was failing my biology exam, and the next, this!! You know as much as I do, which isn't much."

Kari frowned in concentration. "Tai phoned me an hour ago. Said something was up, and it was urgent. He sounded pretty panicked to me at the time, but I couldn't just leave the birthday party." Then she looked around at the destruction around her. "Perhaps I should have gone."

"_Mega Blast_", whispered sibilant voices over and over again. Kari and Joe dived behind a pile of rubble as a series of explosions peppered the downtown streets. Streets filled with innocent people…

"Angewomon!!" Kari screamed at the top of her lungs. "We can't fight here! Fly, and take the battle to the air! Too many people are getting hurt!!"

Miraculously, in spite of the explosions, the scream of the panicked people, and the wind whistling in her ears as she twisted about at superhuman speeds, Angewomon heard. With a mighty flap of her 8 wings, she flew off into the sky, bursting from the pack of Digimon like a rocket.

The Diaboromon were well coordinated, if nothing else. They were, after all, copies of each other, and as such, could read and communicate with each other instantaneously. Half of the squad there immediately flew off to chase Angewomon. Zudomon, being unable to fly, continued to do battle on the ground.

The big, sea-going Zudomon was having trouble. He was hampered by his size, and was being forced to fight in a narrow street filled with screaming people, and was somehow not supposed to kill anyone or destroy any buildings. Awkwardly, he swung at the Diaboromon around him, but they flew circles around the big digimon. "Cowards!! Stand still and let me hit you!!" he roared.

One of the Diaboromon, seeing what it thought was an opening, leapt onto Zudomon's back, and wrapped its six legs around the big digimon's arms and legs. Zudomon bellowed, and with a mighty wrench, tore one of his arms free. Reaching behind him, he grabbed one of Diaboromon's flailing limbs, and with a mighty heave, tossed him high into the air.

"Vulcan's Hammer!!"

The Diaboromon literally exploded into black bits of data as the hammer hit him, but already, more Diaboromon were attacking. Even as Zudomon swung his arm back, at least 5 Diaboromon jumped on, and stuck to him like limpets. Flailing awkwardly, Zudomon fell onto his back, as sheer numbers overwhelmed him.

Angewomon was having similar troubles. The angel digimon's fighting style involved more finesse and speed than Zudomon's brute force, and the fact that she was fighting in the air helped delay the inevitable, but eventually the sheer weight of numbers began to tell.

With 8 wings, she was much more maneuverable and faster than any of the Diaboromon there, but whenever she deleted one, another 3 seemed to take its place. "_Mega Blast_", a group of them launched their attacks simultaneously. 

Angewomon twisted and turned, her 8 wings flapping in 8 different directions, and miraculously managed to avoid them all. In her dodging however, she landed in the middle of another group. One of them swung its limb into her face, stunning her. For a moment, Angewomon lost her momentum.

That moment was enough. The digimon followed up with a sweeping, downward blow, and Angewomon was pummeled towards the ground. "_Mega Blast_", the dark spiders chorused again, and a flaming mass of meteors smashed into her in midair.

The angel digimon hit the top of a high-rise apartment, and smashed a path all the way down to the bottom. "Angewomon!!" Kari screamed as she sprinted across the broken ground as fast as she could, desperate to get to her digimon's side.

"No! Kari, it's too dangerous!!" Joe yelled after her. Then he swore under his breath as he took off after her. Kari was apparently beyond listening. Scrambling madly over rubble hills, and skirting around craters and other debris, Kari reached Angewomon's side. The angel digimon had obviously been badly hurt, and she groaned as she shifted herself in the wreckage. Zudomon was no better off, as he desperately wrestled with half a dozen Diaboromon on the ground, rolling around as he sought to throw them off.

Joe finally managed to reach Kari, and he had to hold her back to stop her from dashing headlong into the fray. "No, Kari, Kari listen to me!! It's too dangerous! You'll just get killed. Listen to me!!"

Kari struggled furiously against his grip as Joe pulled her back, tears streaming down her face. "Angewomon, come on! Get up! You can do it…"

The taller, lanky boy looked up, and he saw the Diaboromon Angewomon had fought swooping down on them, coming in for the kill. "No…" Joe trailed off. Then "Kari! GET DOWN!!!" Grabbing the petite, brown-haired girl, he threw himself to the ground and covered her head with his arm, trying to shield her body with his own. "_Mega Blast_", the Diaboromon attacked again.

Again, a line of explosions bloomed all around them as the flaming meteors hit the ground. Joe and Kari were thrown back at least 15 feet as the shockwave hit them. Joe landed hard on his side and he gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. Then he twisted his head and looked at what had happened to Angewomon.

The combined attack had been too much for her. Already weakened, and then hit by dozens of shots in less than a second, she had devolved back to Gatomon, and now slumped weakly in the wreckage, unconscious. Whirling around, he saw Zudomon go down, arms flailing, and then a faint glow, as the ultimate devolved back into Gomamon. They were helpless.

Joe held Kari, who had been knocked out, protectively to his chest, and scanned the situation, wide-eyed. There was no way out, surrounded as they were by black spiders. What would Tai do? How would he get out of this mess? How did this mess start anyway? The Diaboromon opened their mouths. "_Mega_…"

"Gate of Destiny"

A blinding river of light, tremendously powerful, blasted through the legions of Diaboromon left, annihilating almost half of them immediately. Joe looked up to see a glowing shape, with 8 wings, just like Angewomon had, which meant TK was…

An old beat-up car, sporting a couple of brand-new dents and scrapes, pulled up and screeched to a halt beside them. The passenger door opened, and Joe saw Matt at the wheel, with an insane grin on his face. The back window scrolled down, and TK's head popped out. Never in his life had Joe seen a more welcome sight. "Hiya Joe, need a lift…" TK's grin suddenly disappeared as his blue-eyes widened with shock. Joe heard an audible gasp as the younger boy sucked in a sharp breath. He looked down.

Kari hadn't been just knocked unconscious. A random, flying piece of shrapnel from the last attack had hit her, and had embedded itself in her lower left stomach. Even as Joe watched, blood poured from the wound, soaking her shirt, and dripping onto his own hands. Joe suddenly felt dizzy. So much blood…

Then he shook his head and pulled himself together. With a tremendous mental effort, he pushed all his thoughts of fear and doubt into the far back of his mind, and he forced himself to remain clinically calm, detached.

"Come on, help me get her into the car," the older, blue-haired boy said, and TK hopped out to help. Once Matt saw Kari, his eyes widened. "Oh my God, what happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

Matt shook his head. "No time, we've got to get out of here. I'll tell you when we have a moment to breathe, but right now…" Matt's gaze sharpened. "TK, run and go get Gatomon. Joe, you'd better go get Gomamon. We're leaving."

"But…but…you're just going to retreat? We can't run from an enemy like this!" Joe stammered back, even as TK took off to get Gatomon.

"We don't have time for this!! Trust me, I know what I'm doing, and if we stay, we're going to die. We'll just have to come back later, more prepared, and stronger."

Joe locked gazes with Matt for a moment, then nodded. He trusted the blond-haired boy, and if he thought they should retreat, then he was inclined to trust his judgement. Running off, he scooped up Gomamon, and ran back towards the car. At the last moment, he looked up, to see how MagnaAngemon was doing.

The angel was wreaking havoc amongst the Diaboromon. MagnaAngemon was an Angel type digimon, which meant that although it took a lot of energy to digivolve, his evolved forms were much more powerful than anything else. Even though he was only an ultimate, his power was comparable to that of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. Added to the fact that the Diaboromon had been caught completely flat-footed by the attack, MagnaAngemon was making quick work of what was left.

Dark spiders desperately dived at him, attempting to strike the holy warrior down in midair, but anything that came close got sliced apart by his sword. Swirling and twisting, Diaboromon fell before him like corn before a reaper. All that could be seen of the angel was a tornado of slashing swords and flashing wings, unstoppable.

One Diaboromon foolishly struck out with one of its limbs, attempting to do what it had done with Angewomon. MagnaAngemon merely ducked under the blow, and ran the spider through. Then, even before it had dissolved into data, he wrenched his sword free and slashed another three with blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, whirling off to the next group even before they had dissolved.

TK buried his face in his hands, attempting to shut out the awful sounds of carnage from his senses. He was choked with tears. The gentle, innocent young boy had thought he had left this behind, that this wouldn't have to happen anymore, that there would be no more death and destruction.

He had apparently been wrong.

The rout continued for a while, until MagnaAngemon tired of it all. Bursting free from what was left, he flew off to gain himself some space, and then drew a glowing circle with the tip of his sword. "Gate of Destiny…"

The golden, shimmering gate appeared at his command, and the doors opened. Immediately, Diaboromon were sucked in, helpless to avoid the pull. Even as they fell screeching into the blinding light, the golden doors closed on them; the entire gate rotated, and then shrank into nothingness.

There was a moment of silence as the angel devolved back to Patamon. The little orange digimon flew into TK's waiting arms. Matt looked questioningly at TK to see if he was all right. The youngest boy didn't return the look, gazing morosely down at his feet. Joe, tending to Kari's wound with a piece of his shirt, noticed, and gazed curiously at TK, then nodded at Matt. "You said we had to go. Fine, let's go. We're ready". Kari groaned, and Joe looked down worriedly. "Besides, Kari needs medical attention." The lanky boy looked up again, "Soon."

Matt nodded and turned back to the wheel.

** Author's note: Again, please REVIEW!! Also, don't flame me because I got certain parts or quotes of the movie wrong. I'm sorry OK! I don't memorize movies line by line. I've tried to keep it as accurate as possible, but if I didn't, well, I apologize in advance.


	3. Default Chapter Title

****

Yesterday When the War Began, Chapter 3:

**Disclaimers: I don't own Digimon, and never will. This fic was produced entirely for entertainment purposes, and no infringement on copyright was intended. This fic will never be sold.

**Author's note: This is a "what-if" fic based on the Digimon Movie. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely go read the prologue I whipped up before even trying to understand what's in this fic. Again, this is my first real attempt at a fic, so please be gentle when reviewing. This chapter has some very, very slight hints at TaKari (dunno, maybe I'll expand on it later on). I'll have to admit that my TaKari was inspired by Kale, the all-time best writer I've ever seen, whose skill I can't hope to match in a thousand years. This fic is also dedicated to Fruitloop Trooper and Ryan Berke, the best adventure/action (Fruitloop Trooper) and drama/action (Ryan Berke) writers I've ever seen.

Now that that's over with…

=========================================================

**One day later**

****

Diaboromon was still troubled.

The invasion had gone rather well. As well as can be expected for something that was never planned. Although he had lost a sizable number of copies, the major cities had been taken without much resistance, and all the major armed forces eliminated, or at least crippled. Without communications, the countries could not coordinate their forces, and couldn't fight back. That was assuming their leaders were still alive to make decisions after the missiles hit.

What he had not expected was the total annihilation of the invasion force assigned to Tokyo. According to accounts of the Diaboromon that had been there before they had been deleted, they had been facing off with an Angewomon, a Zudomon, and a MagnaAngemon. There had also been sightings of a Kabuterimon about the district, but those were unconfirmed. The digidestined had apparently been in Tokyo at the time.

The dark, master spider clenched his fangs together. They were stronger than he had anticipated. At first, he had thought that WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon were the only fighting digimon of any significance they had, but apparently the rest of the group was just as deadly. Especially the youngest one with the MagnaAngemon.

Sighing, he played back for the umpteenth time the message that he had intercepted the moment before the missiles hit.

__

DD. Diaboromon invading. Hide, he'll be looking for you. Get out of Tokyo if you can. Meet at where this all began in 1 week. It's war.

Tai

DD. must mean Digidestined. According to ancient legends and the records of the digital world, Tai was the leader of the digidestined, the master of WarGreymon. If the other digidestined had read this message, then they would undoubtedly be hiding from him, probably out of Tokyo.

But where was "where this all began"?

Fires crackled among the ruins of what was left of Tokyo. Cars were overturned, and smouldering fires continued to burn despite the light drizzle coming down from the sky. A young, blond boy looked down sadly at what used to be his hometown. "How did it happen…?"

"You okay up there squirt?" Matt stepped out onto the roof along with his younger brother. TK was standing at the top of the building they were hiding in, his bright blue eyes looking out over the devastated vista of the city. The older boy's gaze was filled with concern for the little boy. "You don't seem to be yourself."

Matt was right. TK was not his usual cheerful, bubbly self. TK turned his blue eyes onto his brother for a second, then turned away, again contemplating what was left of Tokyo. "Matt…what do you think happened to Dad and Mom?"

Matt hesitated. That had been a question he had been hoping to avoid. "I…don't know TK. I just don't know. I hope…I really hope that they're OK, but then…" he trailed off.

TK turned his blue eyes back towards Matt. "And what about Tai, and Izzy, and Sora, and the others?"

All Matt could do was shrug helplessly. "Tai and Izzy are probably all right. They knew what was coming. Sora though, and Mimi…I don't know."

A single tear rolled down TK's cheek, and he angrily brushed it away. What Matt said was the truth, and he knew it. No sense sugarcoating it.

"TK…" Matt placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. At Matt's touch, the younger boy gave a sob and threw himself into his older brother's arms. Matt held the crying kid for a while, rocking him like a baby. TK cried into his brother's shirt. Why did he have to fight again? It wasn't fair. Why couldn't he just be a normal kid? He was sick of it, he was sick of everything.

Several minutes passed. Matt just stood there, holding TK. Then the younger boy sniffed once, and embraced his brother back. "Thanks Matt…" the younger boy whispered. Then he pulled back. 

"TK…I'm sure they're OK, just trust them. We've been through worst than this," said Patamon, still perched on the blond boy's shoulder.

TK smiled through his tears. "No we haven't. But thanks anyway." Then, the little boy wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His blue eyes suddenly focused again, and he looked concernedly at Matt. "What about Kari? How's she doing?"

Matt was grateful that this was a question that he could answer, at least. "I think she'll be fine. In fact, I was coming up to see if you wanted to go check on her."

TK nodded, so Matt turned back to the stairwell. "Matt…" the older boy turned back. TK looked serious. "I promise, I won't cry again."

Matt turned back to the stairwell, a small smile on his lips. TK was going to be all right. "Come on, squirt. Let's see how Kari's doing."

The brothers walked down a steep flight of stairs. They were in the building that Matt and Kari had taken refuge in when Myotismon had held the rest of the city hostage. An old abandoned building, in an old abandoned part of town, it had been, and still was, the perfect place to hide up and rest for awhile. Everyone had agreed that they didn't have the strength to fight the Diaboromon, and thus had decided that subterfuge as the best strategy.

For now, that was.

There wasn't a shadow of doubt in Matt's mind as he climbed down the last flight of stairs. They _were_ going to take this world back. It might take a long time, and a lot of people might die, but Diaboromon was going to _pay_ for what he did to Earth.

Diaboromon, using his vast knowledge and connections of the Internet, began to take apart Tai's message word by word. This investigation took the form of electronic inquiries into the records of the digital world, and of this world.

How old were the digidestined when they were first sucked into the digital world? In a moment, he had his answer.

__

The older ones, the ones called Tai, Mimi, Joe, Matt, Sora, and Izzy had been eleven. The younger one, TK, had been eight. The eighth child, Kari, had not been with them at the time.

Where were they when they were sucked into the dimensional rift?

__

No matches found

Diaboromon gritted his fangs. Full database search, for everything with keywords "Tai",   
"Mimi", "Joe", "Matt", "Sora", "Izzy", and "TK".

A huge list of entries popped up. Diaboromon carefully considered his next move, then slowly began to take out anything that was irrelevant. Delete doctor's records and school records, social security numbers, passports, and bank accounts.

The list was cut in half.

Diaboromon's eyes narrowed. It was highly unlikely the Digidestined had been in a public place when they had been sucked in, so wherever and whenever it was, it must have been when they were all together, yet alone. Search for entries including all of the keywords together.

The list shortened yet again.

Search within results, look for keywords "WarGreymon", "MetalGarurumon", "Zudomon", "Lillymon", "MegaKabuterimon", "Garudamon", "MagnaAngemon", and "Angewomon".

The computer paused for a second. _No matches found_.

The spider snarled in anger. Go back to previous search results. Delete everything that happened when the digidestined were home.

The list suddenly shrank to one entry.

Diaboromon growled in excitement as he scanned the message. It fit. It was a series of electronic notes and forms associated with a summer camp that took place a year ago. The digidestined would have been eleven and eight then. They would certainly have been times when they had been left alone. Then, the evil spider came across something that clinched it.

It was a note from the teacher, Mr. Fujiyama. "Camp was cancelled due to the bizarre weather, and all kids will be returning home. All present and accounted for. I am compelled to note however, that 7 kids requested to be let off at Highton View Terrace rather than Odaiba. Their names are: Taichi Kamiya, Yamato Ishida, Takeru Takaishi, Sora Takenouchi, Mimi Tachikawa, Jyou Kido, and Izumi Koushiro. I let them go on the condition that they phone home and tell their parents.

* note to self: perhaps none of my business, but ask parents to take away dolls from them. At their age, they should learn to be independent. Besides, the dolls are filthy, and should be thrown away."

Diaboromon quivered. All the digidestined together. The "dolls" they had been holding. Highton View Terrace. He had them.

TK and Matt opened the door, and stepped into the room. Joe looked up as he changed the bandages around Kari's wound, then looked down and finished the knot he was tying. Then he stood up, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Matt, I need to talk with you."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, I have something to say too. Let's go outside." He nodded at Kari, who was asleep, albeit fitfully.

The two older boys started for the door, then stopped as TK remained by Kari's side. Matt and Joe exchanged worried looks. "TK…" Matt started.

TK turned and smiled wanly at them. "You guys go ahead. I just want to stay here for awhile. I'll catch up with you later."

Matt looked concerned for his younger brother, but Joe merely said, "Fine. See you outside," and left. Matt, still looking troubled, left the room as well. Their footsteps on the hall faded away, until total silence once again reigned.

TK turned back to the bed, pulled up a chair, and sat beside it. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor was alarmingly loud in the deathly silent room. He took Kari's hand and held it tightly, his blue eyes were filled with anxiety as he looked down at the girl on the bed.

Kari was still in pain. There hadn't been much that Joe had been able to do, and there were no painkillers available. She was unconscious, thank God, but even in her sleep, the pain still reached her. She moaned softly around clenched teeth as she shifted slightly in her sleep.

TK's eyes once again started brimming over, but he angrily held the tears back. _I made a promise_. Instead, he placed a hand on Kari's head, gently brushing her hair back. "Live Kari. Please…just live. I don't know what I'd do without you."

With those simple words, Kari's breathing seemed to become less laboured for a second. Her rolling stopped, and she slept on the bed quietly. Her brows were still furrowed with pain, but it was as if TK had calmed her down. Even unconscious, the very fact that TK cared calmed her down.

The room was dark and dusty, but it was safe. Underground, surrounded as they were by concrete walls, they were sheltered from enemy attack. One of the many things that made this building the ideal hiding place.

Matt crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, "OK, what is it?"

Joe took a deep breath. "Matt. I'm not going to lie to you, but there's a chance Kari won't make it."

Matt sighed. "Go on."

Joe continued doggedly. "She was lucky. The piece of shrapnel that hit her wasn't very large, and it was relatively easy to extract. No vital organs were hit, and I don't see any sign of infection, probably because it was treated early."

Then he caught Matt's eyes with his own. "The problem is her wound is still too large. It's dangerous. If there was a working hospital nearby, then we could have it stitched, and it wouldn't be a problem. Full recovery would only be a matter of weeks. However, we don't have any stitches, and even if we did, I don't trust myself to stitch up a wound."

He paused. "She's lost a lot of blood already. Ideally, she should have a transfusion, but then, these are less than ideal circumstances. All that's holding her wound together now is some tape, bandages, and a lot of hope." A small smile hovered around Joe's lips as he said "hope", but then his face suddenly became serious again. "If that wound opens up again, I don't think I can stop the bleeding in time."

Joe went slowly, making sure that he made his point. "If we are attacked again, or if that wound, for whatever reason, opens up again, Kari would lose too much blood. She'd be dead within an hour."

Matt was silent. Joe stared at him curiously. "Matt? Did you hear me?"

"I heard."

"OK…" Joe paused, pushing his glasses back up again. "So what now?"

Matt unfolded his arms and pushed off from the wall he had been leaning on. He sighed. Now he knew how Tai felt. With Tai gone, he had unofficially assumed leadership of this ragtag group, and all the command decisions rested with him. The responsibility, and the ever-present fear that he would fail haunted him. Now he knew. He didn't envy Tai at all.

"We have a problem."

This time, Joe said nothing. Matt would continue on his own.

"I still haven't told you what happened, have I?" Matt looked over with a slightly amused light in his eyes. "I bet you still have no idea what's going on?" Joe shook his head.

"Come on then. I'll tell you."

** half an hour later **

Joe was gaping open-mouthed at Matt. "You're kidding."

Matt had just told him what had transpired starting from when Tai had first called him up to now. TK, at some point during the narrative, had slipped in silently, and now sat close to the group.

Matt nodded. "So you see my problem. The digidestined have to meet at that summer camp within the next 6 days. Every moment we stay in Tokyo we risk detection by Diaboromon. And now, you've just told me that under no circumstances can Kari be moved."

Joe shook his head. "My decision stands. The slightest jostle and she could die. Simple as that."

Matt sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his fists. He had stayed up most of the night, on the lookout for Diaboromon.

"Maybe if we built a stretcher, and we handled her really carefully…" Patamon piped up.

Gomamon snorted. "Too dangerous. I mean, it takes 5 hours to get to the camp by car, so it would take us at least a day on foot. That's the straightest route. If you take into account the broken roads, and Diaboromon patrols, then it would take at least twice that." The water digimon stared at Patamon. "You think you can carry Kari for that long, probably running some of the time, and still not jostle her?"

"Just a suggestion…" Patamon muttered.

Matt smiled. How like his brother Patamon was. "Don't worry. Suggestions are welcome. Don't feel bad about it." He turned back to the center of the group. "But what do we do about it?"

A couple seconds passed. 

__

Don't worry Sora. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to protect Kari.

"I'll stay with Kari."

Matt whirled around, surprised. "TK?" The younger boy had remained silent for the duration of the meeting. "What do you mean you'll stay with Kari?"

TK turned to stare at his brother in the eyes. Matt was taken aback by what he saw. There was an almost palpable difference about his brother. He was mature, wise beyond his years, all discerning. Yet behind that wise exterior, Matt saw a burning desire to protect Kari, no matter the cost. "It makes sense doesn't it? You and Joe can go to the rendezvous, and I'll stay behind to protect Kari. Gabumom is still weak from that pummeling, and it wouldn't be safe to have him fight. Joe can protect you."

The little boy looked around the group, looking for support. "I'm not boasting here, but we all know that MagnaAngemon is one of the strongest fighters we have." Patamon blushed. "He can take care of any trouble that springs up. You two go ahead, and then you can come back for me and Kari later."

"Kari and I," Matt muttered absentmindedly.

"Whatever."

A couple more seconds passed.

Joe pushed up his glasses. "He's got a point you know."

Matt stared at him.

Joe continued nervously, "I mean, Zudomon isn't very well cut out for urban combat. He's too big, and all these buildings'd hamper him." Gomamon sniffed disdainfully. "MagnaAngemon can fly, and he could take the battle into the air if it comes to that. Plus, he's much smaller." He paused to look at TK. "The actual tending to Kari shouldn't be a problem. All you have to do is change her bandages. That's about all we can do without antibiotics, needles, and suture thread."

2 pairs of eyes turned to Matt. One pair a dark black and one a cerulean blue. Matt still didn't say anything. _Tai, how the hell did you manage this with 7 people._ "Fine," he said slowly. "But TK…" he looked at his brother worriedly. "Take care of yourself, OK?"

The young boy nodded his head, causing his golden bangs to droop in front of his face. "I promise Matt."

Matt nodded back. His decision made, he slumped back into a corner and yawned. "Well, we'll go when it gets dark. Until then, I'm going to get some sleep. TK, would you mind keeping a lookout?"

"Sure" The little blond boy bounded up the stairs, Patamon flying close behind him. Matt gazed up at the receding little figure worriedly. He was unable to shake his concern for TK. Joe noticed his friend's concern.

"Trust him, Matt."

"Huh?"

"He's grown a lot since that first day we discovered we were digidestined. He can take care of himself and Kari. Personally, I feel a lot better having TK guard Kari while we go. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Matt nodded dubiously. Then he snuggled down to try to get some sleep. He would need it for tonight.

** 5 days later. Day before the rendezvous**===============================

****

Tai was dreaming.

Once again, he was staring helplessly at the screen as WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon were being pummeled into bits by millions. He saw over and over again, each individual explosion as it blossomed off their armour, the screams and roars of pain from the 2 megas.

Then all became still.

Time itself seemed to slow. He seemed to slow. The world became languid, surreal, and he felt he was being drawn into something. What was going on?

The Diaboromon had stopped shooting for some reason. Now, they all watched silently at the scene which was unfolding in front of them. Out of the corner of his eye, Tai saw Matt, floating into his surreal, dream-world. What was he doing here? Time had slowed to the point of being nonexistent. He could no longer feel each second go by, but somehow he didn't care. Nothing mattered except reaching WarGreymon's side.

The big mega was motionless. Both of his gauntlets had been torn from his hands, his helmet askew, and his armour cracked and chipped in many places. He looked over at MetalGarurumon. Both their eyes were dark, and all life seemed to be drained from them.

Then, his chest glowed with a brilliant light. Looking down, Tai saw the crest of courage outlined boldly on his chest. A corresponding light burst from Matt's chest. Their combined auras surrounded the 2 digimon, and their eyes snapped awake. WarGreymon's body glowed, dissolved, and shrunk into his helmet. MetalGarurumon's wolf-like body did the same.

"WarGreymon, digivolve to…"

"MetalGarurumon, digivolve to…"

"Tai, Tai, wake up, it's morning."

Tai's eyes snapped open. Sora was shaking him gently. Beside him, Tai could hear Izzy yawning as he stretched, and got up. Sora looked tired and drawn. No wonder. It had been a long time since they had to stand watch at night, and she had taken the last watch.

Events flooded back into his mind as he gradually woke up. The missiles, the invasion, the message. The message…

"Sora, did any of the others come?"

Sora shook her head. "Not on my watch. Sorry Tai, but they haven't shown up yet."

Tai choked back a growl of frustration. It would not do to lose his temper, but he couldn't help it. It was now 6 days after he had sent the message, and there was still no sign of the others. The worst part was that he didn't even know if they had received the message or not. Had he cracked the e-mail ban correctly? Had they been near a computer at the time? Tai didn't know.

He sat up quickly and punched the ground, hard. Agumon looked at him, surprised. "Tai, it's not like you to lose your cool so easily."

Sora grinned at that. "What are you talking about? Tai was always the impulsive one." Her grin turned slightly devilish. "He's the one we've designated to throwing a fit whenever we get bad news."

Tai glared at her, then softened. She was just trying to cheer him up. How typical of her, the thought flashing through his mind. She's always the peacekeeper, the one who keeps the group together.

Then he turned to Izzy. "Izzy, is there any way we can know for certain whether the others got our message?"

Izzy shook his head as he brushed back his hair. "Tai, I've told you already. I've looked at what you did when you cracked that e-mail ban, but there's no way of knowing whether it worked. Also, there's no guarantee that they were near a computer at the time. Matt and TK probably got it, but Kari, Joe and Mimi…I don't know."

Tai sighed in frustration. They had been lucky. Both he and Izzy had been prepared for what had happened, and Sora had received their message, and thus had packed the essentials. They had gotten to the campsite only 3 days after the message, because for some reason, although a lot of Diaboromon had invaded Tokyo, they didn't meet many. It seemed someone or something had thinned their ranks drastically. Tai had no idea what, but it worked in their favour, and so he didn't really care.

He and Izzy had hooked up with Sora on the streets, where they'd found her trying to find a way to the camp. It was then that they had been spotted by a group of digimon, and with nothing else to lose, Izzy had ordered Tentomon to digivolve. Kabuterimon had managed to evade the chasing Diaboromon, but they had had to go the rest of the way on foot. A giant, flying bug was a little too conspicuous to travel safely on.

Now, 6 days after the incident and the message, they still hadn't heard from any of the others, and Tai was beginning to get really nervous. If they hadn't gotten the message, then they were apt to stay in Tokyo and fight. If they had done that…Tai shut his eyes. No, they couldn't have. They were smarter than that. They had to be.

He opened his hazel eyes again. Sora and Izzy were preparing breakfast, and their digimon were still sleeping. The brown-haired kid frowned. Something else was bothering him, and he searched his memory. What was it? Something about the origin of Diaboromon. Suddenly, he had it.

"Izzy, who was that friend person that you told me about? You know, the one who said 'this is all my fault'?"

"You mean Willis?"

Tai snapped his fingers triumphantly. "Yeah, that's the one. What do you think he meant by that? How could he possibly be responsible for Diaboromon?"

Izzy stared at Tai. "You know, you may be on to something there. I personally haven't thought about it much, but now that you think about it…I have no idea."

Tai mused to himself. "He apparently knows about the digital world, and he definitely seems to know more than we do. Do you think that he's a digidestined?"

Izzy chewed on his lower lip as he thought about it. "I suppose its possible. I mean, we didn't know Kari was a digidestined until at least 3 months after we ourselves got our digivices."

Suddenly, Tai had an idea. "Hey, Izzy, do you think you can contact Willis again? I think he might come in handy."

Izzy looked at Tai like he was from another planet. "What are you talking about? Contact him how? Phones are dead, Internet's controlled by Diaboromon, and the power is out. So unless you can think of a way to teleport a mail message over there, I don't see how."

"Maybe through our digivices…"

Izzy shook his head. "We don't even know if he has one. And even if he did, I don't think the digivices could reach halfway around the world. Besides…" Izzy's eyes turned serious. "he might be dead already, for all we know."

Tai sighed. He hadn't thought about that. Yet another unanswered question. Then, he did what he did to every unanswered question. He pushed Willis to the back of his mind. Right now, he was of no real importance, though it was definitely something worth exploring in the future. There were more pressing concerns to be addressed. The young boy turned his worried eyes back to the horizon. If they didn't make the rendezvous, then it would be next to impossible to find them again. The digidestined could well be separated forever.

Diaboromon sat in the darkness, lost in thought. He knew where the meeting was taking place, and the digidestined didn't know he knew. That was an advantage. An advantage he planned to use.

He hadn't sent any troops yet. He had some time. Whoever got to the campsite would stay there for at least another day, waiting for the others. He couldn't spare any troops right now to go battle them, particularly since Tai's WarGreymon would have healed by now. No, he had to think this through, and be cautious.

The masters of the Angewomon, MagnaAngemon, and Zudomon his troops had battled had all but disappeared. Not one of his minions could find them anywhere. They were formidable opponents, adept at subterfuge, Diaboromon had to admit that to himself, however grudgingly.

The meeting must not be allowed to take place. He didn't have the strength right now to defeat them, since it would require a gathering of his forces. Even now, his forces were stretched rather thin around the globe, mopping up resistance. He didn't have to destroy them just yet though, he just had to stop the meeting. They must not be allowed to coordinate their efforts against him, or all would be lost.

The dark spider grinned to himself. Once separated, the digidestined would likely split into lost, uncoordinated little groups. Alone and by themselves, they would be easy targets to track down and destroy, one by one. It might take some time to find them, and even alone, they would be formidable opponents, but it was manageable.

Diaboromon finished that line of thought. The meeting must _not_ be allowed to take place. His eyes snapped open, then narrowed, as he began to give orders to his underlings…

Matt panted as he pushed his way through the forest. Gabumon trailed just behind him, his tongue hanging out, and wishing he could take off his fur coat. Further back, Joe and Gomamon struggled along. Gomamon was having more trouble than any of them. Being a water digimon, he was not built for land travel.

"Matt…wait up…" the digimon panted as he waddled up the remaining distance, and collapsed on the ground at his feet.

Matt looked at the sky worriedly. It was around noon, on the sixth day, and they were still a fair distance off from the campsite. "I didn't expect that it would take so long…"

Joe rested on his haunches, panting as well. "Yeah well, it probably wouldn't have, if we hadn't had to avoid so many patrols."

Joe was right. As the crow flies, the campsite wasn't far. A day's walk would have gotten them there. However, particularly during the last 2 days, there had been Diaboromon patrols everywhere, along the main roads, mountain passes, roaming the countryside. Matt and Joe had had to detour around groups countless times. Sometimes, like now, they had been forced to blaze their own trails, since all the established ones had been blocked. The going was slow, to say the least.

"I just hope that TK's all right…"

Joe exploded. "Dammit Matt! TK's FINE, as is Kari. Man, have some faith in your little brother! He's not as young as he used to be, and he can take care of himself as well as you or I can!"

Matt stared at Joe, shocked and hurt. Joe turned away, then spoke again, in a softer voice. "I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just… well, I guess I'm rather frustrated with all these detours."

Matt groaned stiffly as he himself sat down as well. "No, you're right. I should have more faith in my brother. I guess I'm just so used to protecting him that I haven't noticed that he's matured a lot."

Joe snorted. "Matured a lot doesn't describe it."

Matt was about to respond when he suddenly went stiff. His blue eyes widened and his head perked up, every sense strained to its utmost.

Joe caught the change in his friend's demeanor. "What's the…" he began. "Quiet!" Matt cut him off with a forceful whisper. Joe listened hard as well. Then he heard it. Gabumon and Gomamon perked up their ears. Heavy, booming footsteps, scores of them, though still a long way off.

Matt caught Joe's eye, and both boys nodded. They leapt up, their exhaustion forgotten, as they began to push their way through the forest again, on a tangent away from the sound. Gabumon and Gomamon followed grimly, ready to digivolve on a moment's notice. A wind picked up.

Gabumon stopped. "Matt…"

"Not now, Gabumon."

"Matt, this is important."

Matt turned back. "What is it?"

Gabumon sniffed the air. "I smell something strange. It shouldn't belong to a forest like this." He sniffed some more, then pointed in the direction of the camp. "I think it's coming from over there."

Matt and Joe looked in dismay at each other. Another detour. They were going to be late, there was no doubt about it now. And the footsteps were getting louder.

Matt grabbed Joe's arm. "This way." He jerked his head. Then both boys pushed off again, this time _away_ from the camp. They had no choice. This whole affair reminded Matt of a game he used to play in summer camp, Manhunt. He had thought it was fun at the time, but this wasn't fun at all. He _had_ to make it to the camp, and he couldn't afford delays.

They came to the top of a hill, overlooking a valley. They were about to start down, when Joe stopped. "Matt, what's that?" he pointed.

"What's what?" Matt strained his eyes. "I can't see anything."

"There. See where those trees are moving?"

Matt looked in the direction Joe was pointing. Nothing happened for a while, then he saw a faint ripple in the trees descending down the other side of the valley. Another patrol.

Matt closed his eyes in frustration. He knew. The scheming bastard _knew_ where the meeting was. There was no other explanation for so many conveniently placed patrols.

Then a cold ball of fear lodged itself in his stomach as he followed the logic through. Tai and the others, if they were there already, were in danger. Suddenly, the need to get to the camp became that much more urgent.

"Come on." Matt grabbed Joe's arm again and began leading him off into the underbrush.

"But…but Matt. That'll lead us too close to those patrols…" Joe stammered in protest, then shut up as he saw the intensity behind Matt's eyes.

In the end though, it was useless. No matter where they turned, they always met up with a patrol. Diaboromon had set up a virtual dragnet around the camp, impossible to penetrate.

Diaboromon checked the progress of the patrols. His minions hadn't found anything yet. Once again, he was forced to admit that his enemy was good. Very good.

His mind drifted among the consciousness of the hundred or so Diaboromon stationed around the area, randomly making checks to make sure they hadn't missed anything. He entered the mind of one soldier, as he made his rounds in the forest. He was about to leave to go on, when suddenly…

With a sudden, urgent intensity, he forced the soldier to backtrack. Looking through the other's eyes, he looked closely at the ground.

Footprints. 2 pairs of human shoes, and Gabumon and Gomamon tracks. That was it. _No sign of the younger pair's tracks, or Gatomon tracks. MagnaAngemon and Angewomon were **not** with them!!_

**Author's note: to the digimon illiterate, in case you didn't know already, Patamon flies, so he wouldn't leave any tracks anyway.

With that sudden discovery, his strategy changed instantly. Now he knew the enemy was out there. The tracks had been recent. In a flash, he had reorganized his patrols into an entirely new pattern. Instead of one designed to patrol, they were now aimed at cornering and destroying the 2 stray digidestined.

Then, he turned his attention to the camp site itself. The area he was covering with his patrols was large. If they should decide to abandon being subtle and break out through brute force, they just might be able to succeed.

__

The meeting must not take place.

With a tremendous push of his long-slim legs, he soared into the air, and traveled towards the campsite itself. He couldn't trust his forces to do this right. If the master of MetalGarurumon and Zudomon managed to get out of the dragnet, then they must not meet with the rest of the digidestined. The dark digimon grinned to himself. Whoever was at the campsite would soon be dead, or dying.

=========================================================

Matt noticed the shift in the patrols fifteen minutes later. Now, there were patrols in every direction, not just in the general direction of the camp. No matter where he turned, even if he turned directly away from the camp, he still bumped into a patrol.

Joe had noticed too, and he was beginning to get worried. "Uh…Matt, this might not be the best time to say it, but I think we're surrounded…"

Matt looked wildly around. There was a dragnet around them, in the hills and forests. How had he been fooled into putting his head into this noose? He had never been up against a digimon with such a command of strategy before.

A strange thought entered his mind. It reminded him of the chess games he played with his brother. Though TK may not look like it, he was actually an incredible player. At the end of the game, when TK had invariably stripped Matt of the rest of his pieces, each move was calculated, each time there was less and less space to maneuver his King in.

Except in this game, he was not without pieces.

With that thought, he struck off again, this time heading directly _towards_ the camp. Joe hurried to catch up. "Matt, what are you doing? We'll be found for sure if we go this way…"

"To hell with hiding."

Joe blinked. "What?"

"I'm tired of this. We've got MetalGarurumon and Zudomon. If we can punch through their lines fast enough, we can get out of this dragnet, and then we'll be home free."

Joe was worried. It was too simple. Diaboromon wouldn't let it happen. "Matt, you know that's impossible. Does Diaboromon strike you as the type to allow you to just burst out through brute force?"

Matt silenced Joe with a glare. "We can do it, we're going to do it, and that's final."

Joe shrunk back. If Matt was that angry, then maybe they could pull it off after all.

"We'll keep evading for a while, try to delay the inevitable as much as we can, but eventually we'll have to confront them." Matt's eyes flashed. "And when that confrontation takes place, I'm going to be choosing the time and the place, not him."

Looking up into the sky, Matt's eyes narrowed as he judged the time. The best time to attack and break through would be midnight, when it would be easier to overwhelm and confuse the enemy. That meant they would have to avoid detection for at least that long. "Come on, this way." Joe followed grimly, tracking Matt's every move. He was the leader after all. As night began to fall, the two boys and their digimon slipped noiselessly through the jungle, skirting and avoiding patrols, sometimes laying low and hardly daring to breathe. Matt's prediction was right though. The dragnet was too tight for them to simply slip through. _We're going to have to fight eventually_, Joe reflected bleakly. _All this running around is just delaying the inevitable._

**Author's note: How'd you like that? PLEASE REVIEW!! I'm a new writer and I need the feedback to improve! Don't be scared to point out something wrong in my stories, cuz then I can change it for you in the future.

PS. No more obvious requests for "what's going to happen next". For those of you who are curious, the new digidestined will _not_ appear in this fic (I want to keep it relatively simple). Willis though, will be making an appearance. As for what's happened to their families, etc., well, even I haven't decided yet. Ask me in a week or two.


	4. Default Chapter Title

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Yesterday When the War Began, Chapter 5:

**Disclaimers: I don't own Digimon, and never will. This fic was produced entirely for entertainment purposes, and no infringement on copyright was intended. This fic will never be sold.

**Author's note: OK, I've decided. I'm definitely going to be putting in a little Takari. I'll see how it plays out, but suffice to say there's a fair amount in this chapter. Again, Kale was the one that inspired me. If you haven't read his fics yet, and you're in a romantic mood, _go read them_!!! I've been getting some requests for Taiora, and I just don't know. If I do decide to write Taiora, it'll be pretty minor, so don't expect too much. Any romance will be dedicated to Takari, if any at all. Another thing, I've just found out that Diaboromon's attack is "Web Wrecker" instead of "Mega Blast" (thanks Airdramon!!), so I've changed it. Sorry, it should be correct now. (Besides, "Web Wrecker" sounds better than "Mega Blast" anyway)

PS. For anime freaks out there, there is a certain significant quote in here that comes from another series (not digimon). Hint: it's a mecha series. See if you can find it!!

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The sixth day.

Night was beginning to fall, and the last golden rays of the dying sun streaked in through the window. The light illuminated countless, drifting dust motes in the air, as they danced around of their own accord. Silence reigned.

TK looked up at the drifting dust motes, then down again as he finished dressing Kari's wound. The golden light reflected off his blue eyes as he tied up the last knot. Kari was asleep, and TK watched mesmerized as the light played across her face, and how it seemed to catch her hair at just the right angle. The atmosphere was still, tranquil, almost drowsy. The younger boy stood up, stretched, and walked back to his own chair on the opposite side of the room.

The boy had rarely strayed from the room for the last 6 days, so anxious was he for Kari's safety. Almost every single waking moment he had he spent at Kari's side, watching over her, dressing her wound, feeding her water. Somehow, it seemed to be vitally important to just _be_ with her, in her time of need. Patamon was beginning to get worried for TK's own health. TK hadn't slept or ate much in the last few days. Of course, none of them had, since at least one of them had to be awake at all times on the lookout for danger.

"I'm back."

TK and Patamon jumped at the sudden sound. The voice had sounded alarmingly loud in the tranquil room. Gatomon mumbled a "sorry", then handed a large bag to TK. "There. Here's the food, water and supplies you wanted me to fetch. No-one saw me, so don't worry. I made certain to stay out of sight of any Diaboromon out there." Gatomon made a face. "Of course, any cat worth her salt could slip around Diaboromon, big, noisy brutes."

TK took the bag, and quickly rifled through its contents, checking the supplies, and nodding with approval. "Thanks Gatomon. How'd you get this?"

Gatomon snorted. "I just swiped it from stores. It's not like there's anyone left to stop you, and someone's got to use all those good supplies. It's not stealing… just borrowing."

TK looked dubious at that for a moment, but he let it slide. With half the city destroyed, he was sure that no one would mind a few swiped supplies. He was about to respond when suddenly a groan sounded from the bed. "Kari!" TK rushed to her side, taking her hand and pushing her back into the bed. "Don't move, or you'll open up your wound again."

At that, Kari relaxed. TK was still here; everything was still all right. "TK? Any news?"

The young boy shook his head. "None. But then, we shouldn't expect any this soon. We'll just have to hope they're all right."

Kari nodded, then turned her head away. "I'm sorry…"

He squeezed her hand. "Sorry for what? You've got nothing to be sorry for."

Kari shook her head. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be able to go with the others. Now you have to stay behind and risk being found by Diaboromon. I'm sorry, I'm just getting in everyone's way, aren't I."

The boy gently stroked a stray lock of her brown hair back. "Kari, don't be. There's nothing to be ashamed about, or sorry for. You're just as important as all the others, and I promise I won't let anything happen to you. You just get better, and we'll find the others again. I promise"

Kari sighed, and relaxed back onto her pillows. _I promise…._ Suddenly, she felt infinitely calmer. TK was there to protect her, and somehow, she felt much safer knowing that. The dying beams of the sun slipped in through the windows, and she looked at the dust motes dancing throughout the still room. Drifting…drifting…. _How beautiful_, she thought. For a moment, time seemed to stop, the world seemed to stop. All that existed were the dust motes, drifting…drifting…

Almost as if to remind her of the grim reality, a spasm of pain racked her body, and a small gasp escaped her mouth. The wound was still there, and although it hadn't opened up again, it still hurt. Biting down on her lower lip to prevent herself from crying out with pain, her eyes filled with tears as she tried to endure it, though it was getting harder and harder each time.

TK looked helplessly down at the brown-haired girl. Her brow was furrowed in pain, and her lips were pressed together tightly as she tried not to groan. With no painkillers or antibiotics, there wasn't much he could do. How he wished more than anything he could relieve Kari's pain. Even if he had to take the pain upon himself, he would gladly bear it for her, if it would make her feel even a little bit better.

Taking her hand again, he squeezed it tightly. His eyes blurred with tears as he tried to offer what comfort he could by just _being_ there, to be there for her when she needed him. Kari flinched as she felt a few drops of something drop onto her face. Looking up, she saw TK crying softly, his cerulean blue eyes clouded over with tears. _Why did this have to happen to Kari? What did she do to deserve this? It should've been me, not her, who was hit._

The last dying gleams of sunlight flickered briefly through the window, and then it was gone. Suddenly, the room seemed much dimmer than it had been, as the sun retreated beneath the horizon, bringing with it its warm, golden rays. Night was fast approaching. A lonely wind brushed the streets outside, moaning softly.

Patamon sighed as he saw the sun go down. Another sleepless night, on the everlasting lookout for Diaboromon. He was beginning to dread the dark, dangerous nights more and more. Then, the little digimon turned back to its master and blinked. What was happening? "TK…?"

TK was glowing. A slight aura seemed to surround his small body, and the crest of hope gleamed brightly on his chest. The small, golden glow permeated the room, bringing light and hope to the small, dim room.

The young boy himself didn't seem to notice. Clutching Kari's hand tightly, he sat with his head bowed over the small, brown-haired girl. The golden light flickered over Kari's body, and her breathing became less laboured, and she seemed to relax. Her brow unfurrowed, and the pain seemed to leave her body as a small sigh escaped her lips. Opening her brown eyes, she gazed into TK's clear, blue ones. "Thanks, TK…"

__

Tai's really nervous. Sora thought as she watched her friend pace around. "Tai, you've got to take it easy. You're wearing a hole in the ground."

"Yeah Tai, relax. There's nothing you can do about it." Agumon added.

Tai ignored them and continued to pace. Night was approaching, and they had built a small, smokeless campfire with tinder-dry wood. Izzy, Biyomon and Tentomon were asleep. Everything was quiet, and there was no indication that Diaboromon knew about the meeting, so why was he so nervous? "I can't calm down. Matt, Joe, TK and Kari are out there somewhere. I don't even know if they got the message or not. God, this is driving me nuts…"

Sora looked at their leader worriedly. "Tai, there's nothing you can do. You tried your best to contact them, and now all we can do is hope, and wait. You shouldn't worry so much about things you can't control."

Tai looked over at her. _Maybe she's right_, he thought reluctantly, _maybe I do need to calm down. I can't collapse into a nervous wreck now_. But then, it wasn't like he could help it. In the digiworld, Tai had come to trust his instincts. When he was nervous, something was wrong. Something his unconscious mind had picked up, but his conscious mind had not. He was filled with a restless, nervous energy that he just couldn't shake. Unwind? Relax? Impossible.

For the millionth time that day, he took out his trusty mini-telescope and scanned the horizon. In the rapidly dimming light, he didn't see much. Everything seemed as it should be on first glance. Just trees, the occasional road and farm, the setting sun. Tai turned his head as he looked around.

Then he froze. A shiver of fear ran up his spine. What was that he had seen? Forcing his breathing to slow down, he strained his eye against the eyepiece. 

There. He had not been mistaken. An unmistakable shape of a spider, its black legs streaming behind it, flying at incredible speed right at them.

Tai slowly put his telescope back down. "Sora, come over here. Tell me I'm not seeing this." Suddenly, the girl was concerned. Maybe Tai's nervousness wasn't totally unfounded. With a bound, she stopped by Tai's side, accepted the telescope, and looked through it in the direction Tai was pointing.

A second later, she lowered it, her jaw set grimly. "That's him all right." She glanced at Tai. "He'll be here in a couple minutes at most. What now?"

Tai was silent.

"Tai, we can't leave. If we miss this meeting, we might never meet up with the others again. You know that as well as I do."

Tai was, at the moment, concentrating on not letting his frustration boil over. He knew that they didn't have the strength to face Diaboromon alone. However, they had to stay. The meeting was crucial. The brown-haired boy gritted his teeth. What to do? Indecision was even worse than making the wrong choice.

"Sora…" he began.

"Yeah?"

"Go wake Izzy and the others up. Tell them we've got a problem. Have them pack up everything they can in 2 minutes, max, and then meet me down by the river." The banks and trees would provide some cover.

"Already done." Sora began running off to the campsite. Then she stopped and turned around, a hint of concern for Tai's safety appearing in her eyes. "And what are you doing?"

Tai grinned at her, slightly maniacally as adrenaline started to flood his system. "I'll be there in a sec. Just have to put out this fire. Maybe he's just out for a midnight stroll, right? I mean, he might miss us."

Sora stared at him, and Tai sighed. "OK, maybe that's too much to hope for. Just go. I'll be there in a second."

The brown-haired girl nodded, and took off, her long legs flying as she slipped through the forest silently. Tai dashed over to the fire, and kicked it apart, scattering the burning embers with his shoes. Piling sand on it, he extinguished the last glowing embers. He glanced back out at the horizon. Now he could see Diaboromon with his naked eye. He'd be here in five minutes, around. It was a good thing he happened to be looking in the right direction with his telescope, or Diaboromon would have caught them flatfooted. Agumon helped to kick sand over the fire, putting the embers out.

Once the fire was out, Tai straightened up, and cast a quick eye over the place. No telltale signs of human occupation. If Diaboromon _was_ out for a midnight stroll, then he would pass this place by without so much as a second glance. Then Tai shook his head. Wishful thinking.

"Come on, Agumon. Time to go."

Boy and digimon dashed down through the underbrush. It was getting dark, but both of them had had experience picking their way through rough terrain. Within a minute, he had made it down to the riverbanks, and he began scanning the shores for Izzy and Sora.

"Tai…Tai, over here!"

Tai turned his head over to the source of the whisper, and ran towards them. Izzy, Sora and their digimon had taken refuge beside a huge oak. Tai looked the place over, and gave a nod of approval. Well-hidden and sheltered. It would do.

"Izzy?" Tai couldn't see where his friend was.

"Over here."

"Have Tentomon ready to digivolve all the way at a moment's notice. Sora, you too. Agumon…" Tai looked down. Agumon was quivering with anticipation. "Never mind. Just remember, don't do anything until I say the word." He glared at both of them. "Anyone digivolving before I say so will be hunted down and shot by morning, if they're not dead already."

Sora giggled nervously, and Tai looked at her, relieved. At least she hadn't lost her sense of humour. Tai looked at Izzy. For some reason, the younger boy was typing at his laptop. At a time like this? Tai opened his mouth to reprimand him.

A thump, indicating Diaboromon had landed at the campsite, made him shut his mouth again. Silently, he coiled his body into a spring, ready to take off at the proverbial drop of a pin.

Silence.

Tai looked nervously around. Sora stared back. She looked pale, and her eyes were wide with fear, but her hands and demeanor remained steady. _She'll be all right_, Tai thought. Izzy was still obsessed with his computer. What could be so important at a time like this?

More silence.

"What's he doing?" Tai murmured softly to himself. Glancing over at Sora, all he received was a puzzled shrug in response. What was Diaboromon doing? Had he gone yet? It was pitch black by now, and Tai couldn't see anything. What was going on?

Suddenly, a huge flare of light, about 10 miles away, erupted in the forest. Tai turned to gape at the spectacle as another flare shone brilliantly in the dark forest. Ripples rocked the trees, as they were shaken violently. Tai strained his eyes. Were those trees that were flying through the air?

"_Web Wrecker_"

Another flare of light detonated, this time a mere 50 meters away. Tai, Izzy and Sora were knocked onto their backs by the force of the explosion. Now Tai knew what those flares of light had been. Gasping, he managed to choke out, "Everyone, digivolve!"

"Biyomon digivolve to…Birdramon!"

"Birdramon digivolve to…Garudamon!"

"Tentomon digivolve to…Kabuterimon!"

"Kabuterimon digivolve to…MegaKabuterimon!"

"Agumon warp digivolve to…WarGreymon!"

"TK…what's going on? You're glowing!" Patamon flapped his wings and landed on the boy's shoulder, looking at his master worriedly.

TK's face looked at peace, content. His blue eyes were partially closed and his golden hair waved gently, even though there was no wind in the room. The shimmering aura that surrounded his slim frame shed a warm, comforting light around the room. It was as if the greatness of his spirit had suddenly manifested itself visibly. A small smile hovered around his lips. "I don't know Patamon. I can't explain it either. All I know is that I'm helping Kari, and for that I'm happy."

Patamon didn't look satisfied, but when he looked down, he was forced to agree that his master was right. Kari had fallen asleep again, and this time there wasn't a hint of pain on her face. A small smile hovered on her lips as well, as TK clutched her hand. Again, TK reached out and smoothed her brown hair back gently. He glanced down at her stomach. The wound was still there, but somehow, it didn't seem to matter to Kari anymore. It was as if the pain was gone.

Gatomon hopped onto the bed, and peered at her master. "She's getting better. Look at her, she's sleeping like a baby!" Peering closely at TK, she saw the crest of hope on his chest. "TK, I never knew you could do this."

Patamon stared as well at the crest of hope as well. "TK, it's your crest. Remember what we discovered when we fought Apocalypmon? You carry the virtue of your crest in your heart, and that's something that is inherently part of you. You were born with it."

"You're one of the digidestined, TK. You're special, holder of the crest of hope." Patamon looked at Kari sleeping peacefully in her bed again. "Your concern for Kari must've been what awakened your power. I just never knew you could do that with a crest."

TK shook his head. "I can't control it Patamon. It's just…a part of me, as much a part of me as my arm or head. All I knew was that Kari needed help, that she was in pain, and then…this happened." His blue eyes softened as he squeezed Kari's hand lightly. "And I'm glad. If it makes Kari feel better, then for once, I'm glad that I'm a digidestined."

Gatomon frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

A shadow crossed TK's face. "I didn't ask to be the holder of the crest of hope. Sometimes, more than anything, I wish I could just be a normal kid, lead a normal life. All this fighting, war and death…" TK sighed. "I'm tired Patamon. I've seen and learned so many things that I wish I hadn't."

For a moment, the young boy closed his eyes. Experience and maturity had its advantages as well, but they took a certain something from him, and he just wasn't the same anymore. Choice was the worst of them all. With knowledge and experience came choice, and that was truly a double-edged sword.

Glancing over at the digimon, he offered a smile tinged with sadness. "Ironic isn't it? Wishing to unlearn what you've learned, but that's what I feel like. Yet…" he looked down at Kari, "if this would help Kari, then it was all worth it."

Patamon snuggled up against TK, trying to offer what comfort he could. "Don't worry TK, I'll always be here."

TK petted his digimon lightly. When he spoke, his voice wavered a little. "Thanks pal. I don't deserve you. I really don't." He looked around. "I guess it's not all bad. If I wasn't a digidestined, then I would have never met you guys."

Gatomon padded lightly over to Kari's side, and curled up into a ball beside her mistress. "TK, remember, you carry the crest of hope. You are special, a digidestined, and no-one else can stop Diaboromon except you guys. From the moment you were born, you guys were destined for greatness. You have a responsibility to your world, and you must live up to it." The cat digimon looked the boy in the eyes. "Don't lose hope TK. We'll find a way sooner or later."

The blond boy nodded. "Don't worry Gatomon. I'll do my part." His voice was suddenly tinged with an almost infinite sadness, but his eyes were burning with resolve. "War brings sorrow... but we must fight to keep our loved ones from sorrow..."

Matt swore viciously under his breath. There had been more than he thought. "MetalGarurumon, don't take too long! We have to break out before reinforcements get here!!"

He and Joe had waited, lying in cover until night had fallen, in hopes of surprising, and overwhelming the line so they could break through. Their experiences in the Digiworld had served them well, allowing them to evade detection for most of the night, but the dragnet had finally been drawn so tight there was nothing for it but to fight. Things had gone well, at first. MetalGarurumon and Zudomon had caught the line completely flatfooted, but he hadn't counted on the Diaboromon being so well coordinated.

It was impossible to confuse a Diaboromon. They were linked telepathically, or perhaps electronically, since they were nothing more than copies of each other. No matter how you separated them, they always came back at you with unerring coordination and strategy.

MetalGarurumon took a blast in the side, and roared with pain. Swinging around, he returned the blow. "Metal Wolf Claw!!"

The offending Diaboromon was deleted instantly. The blinding blue beam ploughed a path through the forest.

Zudomon was having fun. Back at the city, he had been forced to fight in a constricted environment. Now, however, he was free to destroy whatever he liked.

"Vulcan's Hammer!" he bellowed. A group of five Diaboromon were killed, though the attack took out a sizeable portion of the forest. Those that survived were left dazed for a moment, and thus were caught by surprise when Zudomon charged through the smoke, swinging his hammer and howling with battle rage.

The digimon struggled to get out of the way, but the swinging hammer cut a swath through the survivors like a hot knife through cheese. Zudomon was an unstoppable juggernaut, his eyes glowing an intense white blue, as he wielded his hammer with the strength of 10.

Diaboromon tried clinging on, but Zudomon's enormous strength always enabled him to burst free. A couple of them desperately took to the air, and tried dive-bombing him from above.

"_Web Wrecker!"_

Zudomon swung around, and took the blows on his horn, absorbing them. Then he reared his arm back, and threw his hammer with deadly accuracy. The Diaboromon screeched as they were cut down in mid-flight by the spinning hammer.

The big digimon reached out and snatched his hammer back. Swinging it above his head, he laughed maniacally. Who said revenge was a dish served cold? This was the way to do it, pure and simple massacre. So much less complicated.

Meanwhile, MetalGarurumon was fighting like a…like a wolf. Bounding through the forest at incredible speeds, he pounced and slashed with his razor sharp fangs and claws. The Diaboromon were helpless. The big metal wolf was simply running rings around them.

"Giga missile!" The big warhead exploded in the middle of a group, wiping them out instantly.

"_Web Wrecker_", another group responded. The destructive orange bolts slammed into the ground, throwing up a huge explosion and smoke screen. The Diaboromon peered hard into the smoke, trying to see whether they had hit their opponent or not.

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

The blinding blue beam cut right through the smoke, and annihilated the spiders. Matt watched incredulously as he watched the attack continue on through the forest, plowing through the trees for at least a mile before it stopped. He turned to look at MetalGarurumon, who shrugged. "Maybe I overdid it."

"Matt! Look, there's an opening!" Joe was pointing frantically at the gap in the advancing line. Matt sized it up, then decided it was worth going for. "I see it!" he yelled back. "Tell Zudomon we're going! And make sure he knows that we're going _now_!"

Joe didn't bother acknowledging Matt. "Zudomon!" he yelled. "Come on big buddy, we're leaving." 

"Aw come on Joe, I was having fun!"

"Come on! That gap could close any second!" The big water digimon swung his hammer a few times, then reluctantly turned back and lumbered towards Joe. Taking the boy up in his huge hand, he pounded towards the gap.

Matt had mounted MetalGarurumon. "Straight for the gap. And don't stop for anything. Just get us through!"

The big metal wolf growled savagely in response, and took off like a rocket. Zudomon lead the charge, his hammer swinging dangerously, as he charged through the line, laughing uproariously. The two boys clung on for dear life as flames and Web Wreckers exploded all around them. Debris splattered all around them, and shrapnel whistled overhead. _Running the gauntlet_, Matt thought. The Diaboromon tried futilely to stop the charge, but those that weren't deleted immediately were knocked over like bowling pins by the charging digimon, 

All of a sudden, they were through. For once, the spiders actually seemed disoriented, taken off guard by the ferocious attack. Matt blinked. _We're through_ he thought incredulously. Then, turning to Joe, he yelled. "Joe! Have Zudomon devolve! We'll go on MetalGarurumon. He's faster!!" 

Joe nodded back. He was about to relay the order to his digimon when Zudomon abruptly put him down, glowed, and shrank back into Gomamon. "Yeah, yeah, I heard. Damn, and I was having so much fun too."

Joe laughed. "Don't worry pal, I have a feeling we'll be doing a lot of this from now on." Picking Gomamon up, he ran towards Matt. "Come on!" the blond boy extended a hand down. Joe grabbed it gratefully, and allowed himself to be hauled onboard.

"MetalGarurumon! Let's get out of here!!"

The digimon took off again. His metalshod paws dug into the ground, and dirt churned up into the air as he streaked off into the dark forest. Matt and Joe were once again hanging on for their lives, as tree branches whipped by at blinding speeds. The fires and explosions receded rapidly behind them as they left the battlescene and the dazed Diaboromon there.

**Author's note: Well, how'd you like that? Again, PLEASE REVIEW!! I need feedback to improve. Is the pace too fast? Too slow? Is there enough dialogue? Is my grammer all right? (cough…Ghost in the Machine…cough) Does my plot hold up? Don't be afraid to tell me, just be polite when doing so. Anime lovers, have you found the quote? If you did, tell me in the review, thanks. Thanks a lot for taking the time to read my fic.

One more thing. After I post the next chapter or two, I might disappear for awhile. Exams are coming up, and I'm going away for vacation, so don't expect anything after that for at least 2 weeks, maybe more. Don't worry though, I will definitely finish this series. I must tell you, it's a lot of fun!!


	5. Default Chapter Title

****

Yesterday When the War Began, Chapter 6:

**Disclaimers: I don't own Digimon, and never will. This fic was produced entirely for entertainment purposes, and no infringement on copyright was intended. This fic will never be sold.

**Author's note: Kay, first thing. Only one reviewer got the quote (Veranda Whitney, if you're reading this, CONGRATS!!). The quote was indeed "War brings sorrow... but we must fight to keep our loved ones from sorrow...". (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read the previous chapter, and you'll understand). TK's quote was taken from the mouth of Quatre Raberba Winner, from the mecha series "Gundam Wing".

Second. I have to thank all my reviewers. I'm not going to list them out, since I'm afraid I'll miss someone, but you know who you are. Thanks a lot for the feedback. Your reviews are what keeps me going.

Lastly, this is the last chapter that's going to be posted for awhile. In fact, this will be the last edition of "Yesterday When the War Began." The continuation of this storyline will be continued in another saga, the title of which is yet to be decided. Just look for something from me. Don't be expecting that for another 2 or 3 weeks at least (exams and Christmas vacation).

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"Horn Buster!" The huge electric beam shot from MegaKabuterimon's horn. The big spider turned, brought up all of his limbs and blocked the shot. For a moment, a huge explosion lit up the countryside, and an obscuring dust cloud hid Diaboromon from view.

Recklessly, MegaKabuterimon flew right into the dust cloud, horn extended. His fists out at his side ready to gouge and tear, he plunged headlong into the dust, blind, as he sought out his enemy.

He found nothing.

"What!?"

"_Web Wrecker._"

The big, beetle digimon was smashed in the back _from above_ with the explosive attack. Roaring in pain, he spiralled awkwardly down until he hit the ground hard. Izzy shielded his eyes as MegaKabuterimon carved a crater in the countryside. "MegaKabuterimon!" Izzy ran after his digimon, his laptop forgotten for an instant. Once he got there, he was greeted with a coughing Tentomon crawling out of the smoking crater.

The rookie looked at Izzy apologetically. "I'm sorry, Izzy."

Izzy hugged his digimon fondly. "Don't be." The red-haired boy looked up. "No offense, but you wouldn't have been able to keep up with them anyway."

Tentomon looked up as well, following Izzy's gaze, and gasped. Tai and Sora were similarly mesmerized by the spectacle. For some reason though, Izzy tore his gaze away from the fight, and began to type on his computer. "Don't have much time…" he muttered to himself.

WarGreymon and Garudamon were fighting together, dodging and maneuvering blindingly fast through the air. Diaboromon was also holding his own, twisting and turning through all three axes at once. The three of them were streaks of burning light that blazed fiery paths across the sky. Huge clashes and spectacular explosions lit up the countryside as the three waged their epic battle in the starry backdrop. There was something frighteningly beautiful about the scene, beautiful that was, if this had been anything other than a fight for the future of Earth.

"Wing Blade!" Garudamon crouched, and launched her attack at Diaboromon. The spider twisted, miraculously avoiding the attack, and the phoenix of flames shot harmlessly off into the star-studded sky. Garudamon, seeing him off balance, came in to press the attack.

Although the big bird-type digimon was all but a blur to human eyes, Diaboromon saw her coming as well. Swinging its limbs, he suddenly revealed a new attack. "_Cable Crusher._" Thick, black cables sprouted from its side, and swung towards Garudamon. Taken by surprise, the ultimate was smashed several times across the face before she managed to veer off. Flipping over to help absorb the blows, she flew off into the sky. The cables followed her, and Garudamon twisted and dodged in the air, rolling upside down desperately as she tried to avoid the tracking cables. Diaboromon snarled viciously. Garudamon was his, and he knew it.

A whistling sound in his ears suddenly warned him of another danger. Again, twisting itss limbs, it rolled out of the way in midair, even as WarGreymon dived and slashed down with his gauntlets. The razor-sharp claws severed the cables, but Diaboromon himself wasn't hurt.

Swinging around, WarGreymon turned and slashed viciously at the upside down spider right beside him. Diaboromon didn't have a chance, caught off balance and upside down as he was. The Mega landed a solid blow, his gauntlet connecting with a vicious _crack_, and the big spider tumbled out of the sky. Dust and debris flew into the air as he ploughed a path through the forest. For a moment he was obscured from view, downed and helpless.

Both WarGreymon and Garudamon took advantage of that moment. There was no need to coordinate. Months of fighting side by side in the digiworld enabled them to read each other's moves perfectly. Quickly taking up positions above the cloud, they fired downwards with all they had.

Tremendous explosions lit up the forest again, and for a moment, the camp was as light as day. Without even bothering to call out the names of their attacks anymore, both digimon hurled them down as fast as they could. Their combined attacks rocked the ground for miles around. Tai, Izzy, Sora and Tentomon were forced to seek refuge behind the huge oak they had been hiding beside.

Finally, both digimon were forced to stop. Panting, they stared hard into the cloud. Had they done enough? For a moment, total silence reigned.

Tai strained to see into the dust cloud. "Did they do it? Is he gone?"

"_Cable Crusher"_

Dark cables suddenly shot out from the dust cloud. Both digimon were caught flatfooted, and in the blink of an eye, they had been captured. Cables held their arms and legs securely. Garudamon and WarGreymon struggled vainly against their bonds as the cloud cleared.

Apparently, Diaboromon was very much alive.

Izzy gaped. "But…but that's impossible!! Nothing can take a pounding like that and survive!"

Sora, who had never fought Diaboromon before, could only stare at the unfolding spectacle before her.

Diaboromon snarled, his mouth curling into a hideous grin. "_Web Wrecker!!"_, he exclaimed as he launched his attack.

Helpless, both digimon took the full brunt of the blast. A blinding ball of fire exploded in the night sky, and WarGreymon and Garudamon roared in pain as they were blasted from the restraining cables. Even before they had hit the ground, their bodies were already glowing, and they were suddenly back to their in-training forms again.

"Koromon!!" Tai screamed.

"Yokomon!!" Sora echoed.

Both of them sprinted towards their digimon. Izzy and Tentomon followed, though Izzy was still typing furiously on his computer. Somehow, the auburn-haired boy managed to run and keep working at the same time.

The digimon didn't look good. Their breathing was shallow, and their eyes were closed in pain. Tai picked Koromon up, and looked around, wide-eyed. Diaboromon's grating laugh filled his ears as he winded up for another attack. All of their digimon were down. They were helpless.

Wildly, Tai whirled around, looking for something, anything that might help. Tentomon was still too weak to digivolve, and Izzy was still typing furiously on his damned computer. What could be so important at a time like this?

"Prodigious!!!", Izzy suddenly exclaimed.

A second later, Diaboromon struck out with his cable crusher. 

Time seemed to slow. 

Tai could see the deadly cable-tip approaching in slow motion. Somehow, the seconds had turned into hours. All he could hear was his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He didn't try to dodge. What was the point? It wasn't as if Diaboromon was going to miss if he did.

"Tai, get down!!" Izzy tackled him and Sora down to the ground. Time snapped back to its normal pace. Tai hit the ground hard, and the bone-jarring impact knocked the breath out of him. His head banged against a sharp rock, and his goggles slipped off his head and clattered to the ground, but Tai was too winded to notice. The cable shot by overhead, missing by mere feet and crashing into a stand of trees, shattering them instantly.

"Izzy, what are you…"

Fiercely, the auburn-haired boy clamped a hand around Tai's mouth. Grabbing Tai and Sora's arms, Izzy began to drag them away from the scene. Tai, out of confusion if nothing else, allowed himself to be lead away from the scene. What was the matter, they were going to die within the next few seconds anyway…

"_Cable Crusher_"

Tai cringed and closed his eyes, expecting the cable to cut him in half. Instead, he heard the crash of it shattering another stand of trees at least 50 meters behind him. Startled, he opened his eyes again. Diaboromon looked distinctly confused, striking out in random directions with his cable crusher and howling with frustration. "Izzy, what did you…"

Izzy clamped a hand over Tai's mouth and twisted his face so he had to look into his own. Fiercely, he mouthed the word _Quiet_, and pulled on his arm. Sora and Tai exchanged puzzled glances. What was happening? He glanced over at Izzy's laptop, which was now strapped to his back. Although the cover was closed, the lights along the side were flashing like crazy. What had Izzy done with his laptop?

The younger, red-haired boy pulled insistently on Tai's arm, and this time, he followed willingly. Izzy apparently knew what he was doing. Tai still had no idea what he had just managed to pull off, but it was working. Diaboromon was howling with frustration as he launched random attacks into the dark forest. None of them even came near Tai and his group.

Izzy led them a far way off before finally stopping. The whole time, Diaboromon seemed to just let them go. It was if he couldn't see them all of a sudden. The moment they were clear, Tai rounded on Izzy. "What the hell did you do back there?"

Izzy and Sora collapsed on the ground, shaking violently with the close-call they had. Tai noticed that he himself was also trembling rather badly. _Adrenaline_, he decided shakily. "Well?"

Izzy held up his hand for a moment, pleading Tai for some time. The brown-haired boy sat down as well, grateful to be off his feet. They had suddenly felt too shaky to support him. He ran his fingers through his hair and found out he had lost his goggles. _Damn this whole war. I loved those goggles!_

It was several minutes later before Izzy was ready to respond. He took a deep breath, and calmed his nerves somewhat, then began. "You remember Piximon?"

Sora looked at him strangely. "How could we forget? He gave his life up so we could escape from the Dark Masters."

Izzy nodded. "Don't you guys remember what his strength was? His specialty was…" He arched an eyebrow.

Realization dawned on Tai. "Digital barriers."

"You used a digital barrier!? Where'd you get one?" Sora was incredulous.

Digital barriers were "barriers" or forcefields that warped light in such a way to provide an illusion. Piximon had been a digimon that had been especially adept at using such barriers. They could be used for attack, for defense, but their best function was for illusion.

Piximon had used barriers to conceal his little home. Anyone looking from the outside would have thought it was an empty stretch of desert, while in fact, behind the barrier, there had been Piximon's home and training center. Barriers could be set up around people to render them invisible to outside eyes, so while people inside could still see out, people outside could not see in.

Izzy nodded. Apparently his friends still remembered what a digital barrier was. Good, then he wouldn't have to explain it. "That's right. A digital barrier. That's why Diaboromon couldn't see us." A small smile appeared on his face. "Did you see that look on his face? What I wouldn't give for a camera."

None of the others smiled at the feeble attempt at a joke. "Izzy, when did you learn how to use digital barriers? Did Piximon teach you?" Tai asked.

Izzy shook his head. "I learned how to use them back when Myotismon was still searching for the Kari. You remember how he put up the fog barrier and started rounding up everyone into the convention center?"

Sora nodded. She had been one of those captured.

"Well, you weren't there at the time, but when some Bakemon came for me, Gennai warned me through e-mail. As a way to protect myself, he gave me a digital barrier to use. I managed to download it just in time, and I put it up. It worked like a charm. Bakemon came into our house and ransacked it, but they didn't see my mother, my father or me."

* note to the digimon illiterate: Gennai is an old advisor of the digidestined, and that he really did send a digital barrier to Izzy to protect him from the Bakemon.

"So," Tai mused, "that barrier's been sitting in your computer for all this time."

Izzy nodded. "It's not something that you'd just delete. I figured it might come in handy later." He looked back at the ruined campsite. "And did it ever."

Tai gave Izzy a reproachful look. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? We could've used something like that."

Izzy looked abashed. "Well…I kind of forgot about it. It was kind of a miracle that I remembered it at all. That's why it took me so long to find it, because I didn't remember which folder I'd put it in. And then, I had to set it up all over again."

Tai sighed and got back up. "Come on, we've got to keep moving. We're still too close to the campsite, and we can't stay here. Digital barrier or not, I'd feel better if we put some distance between ourselves and Diaboromon."

"But Tai, what about the meeting?" Sora asked, her crimson eyes meeting Tai's hazel ones.

Tai clenched his jaw tightly. The meeting. "There's nothing we can do about that. Diaboromon's too powerful, and we can't afford to stay in this area any longer."

Sora gazed back, not defiantly, but with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Tai, we won't get another chance to meet up with the rest of them anymore. You know as well as I do that finding the others without communications would be impossible, particularly with Diaboromon breathing down our necks. We could be split up for good"

"But Tai's right," Izzy said quietly. "He's not going to let us go so easily. In under an hour, this whole place will probably be swarming with patrols, which means we've got to be long gone by then. We'll just have to trust that the others are all right. In the future, we'll meet up with them again. In the meantime, it's better to be split up than dead."

Sora nodded resignedly. Then she stood up abruptly, holding Yokomon in her arms. "So where to now, fearless leader?" slipping into the affectionate nickname that Tai sometimes went by.

Tai didn't say anything, lost in thought. Sora and Izzy looked at him curiously. "Tai? I said…" Sora began.

"I heard you Sora."

"Then what are you thinking about?"

Tai was silent for a while, then…

"Izzy, where does Willis live?"

Izzy was startled by the sudden change in subject. "In New York, America. Why?"

Tai frowned in thought. "That kid knows something. Something we don't, and I have the feeling that it's important." He looked around at his group. "I think it's worth checking up on."

Izzy frowned. "Are you suggesting we go all the way to America?"

Sora stared at the two of them. "What are you talking about?" Sora said impatiently. "Who's Willis?"

"Guys, hear me out. Diaboromon knows we're here. It would be too dangerous to even remain in Japan, much less find the others. The range of our digivices are too limited. With all the patrols all over Japan, finding anyone would be next to impossible." Tai looked around the group, looking for support. "Willis knows something important. Didn't he say something about how "this was all my fault"? We can't defeat Diaboromon as we are. We just saw that. We've thrown our best at him, and we've still gotten beaten." Tai paused. The words sounded sour in his mouth, but he wasn't too proud to admit when he was beaten. "We need some help."

"But Tai, what makes you think looking for Willis will be any easier than looking for the others?" Tentomon asked.

"We already know he lives in New York. That narrows it down a lot. In America, there won't be nearly as many Diaboromon, since they're apparently focusing on Japan, searching for us."

A moment of silence fell over the group as they thought it over.

"Another thing," Sora added quietly. "I still don't know who Willis is, but Mimi is still in America." She glanced over at Tai. "We have to go get her anyway."

Tai looked around. Sora didn't look happy about it, but she had apparently accepted the logic Tai had laid out. Izzy was still sitting with his back against a tree, eyes closed. Suddenly, the auburn-haired kid opened his eyes again, and looked at the others.

"Tai, you're our leader. It's your decision. Whatever you decide, we'll follow you. Do we go or not?"

The brown-haired boy looked at the small group under his command. The others gazed back, and he saw the trust in their eyes. At a single word, this band of brothers and sisters would follow him wherever he went, to the ends of both worlds and back. He smiled.

"Let's go to America."

***************************************************************************************************

Joe panted as he rested with his hands on his knees. Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he doggedly set off again up the trail.

The battle last night had been tough. Although MetalGarurumon and Zudomon had managed to break through the line in the end, they had spent the remainder of the night dodging the remaining patrols as the Diaboromon scrambled to surround them again. Matt had pushed them at an incredible pace all throughout the night, as they desperately tried to avoid being caught in another dragnet.

Joe sighed as he skirted around a fallen tree. Dawn was breaking over the horizon, and they were now fairly close to the camp. Almost home free. In a few minutes, he would see the others again…

"Joe!! _Get up here!!_" Matt's voice sounded shrill, almost frantic. At the sound, Joe sprinted the rest of the way up the small hill, his exhaustion forgotten. Gomamon followed right behind him.

Once he crested the hill, he drew in his breath sharply. _No…this can't be happening._

The campsite was in ruins. All that was left of it were a series of craters from incredible explosions. Trees had been uprooted and were tossed here and there like matches. Dying fires smoldered among the remains.

Joe turned his head. Trails of devastated forest stretched in all directions, almost as if some huge object had been dragged through the woods and demolished most of it. The buildings were long gone, leveled into unrecognizable rubble. "What…what happened here?"

Matt was already running down the hill to inspect the damage. His mind was slowly filling with a murderous rage. _Diaboromon, if they're hurt in any way…._

Running around the campsite, he found nothing but debris and rubble. Trees and mountains of twisted rock and metal blocked his way. He couldn't even recognise the landscape. Hills weren't where they were supposed to be, and all the familiar landmarks were gone.

__

The river, he thought. _If they were attacked, that would be the best place to make a stand._ Speeding up, he ran round to the river. He was right. If anything, the devastation was even worse there. The entire course of the river had been changed, and 2 huge craters, bigger than all the others, had carved themselves into the landscape. Vaguely, Matt heard Joe scrambling down the slope to follow him, skirting around the mounds of smouldering rubble.

Suddenly, Gabumon pointed. "There Matt, looks like something." Then, the rookie shot off. Matt saw the object too, glinting in the sunlight, and was suddenly filled with dread. Running after his digimon, he beckoned Joe over, then turned back to the object. _Please no…_

When he reached the object, Gabumon was already there. Sorrowfully, his digimon looked at Matt, and then back at the piece of plastic and cord half-buried in the ground. The blond boy collapsed on his knees, his eyes unable to believe what he saw.

It was Tai's goggles. One of the lenses had been shattered, and the other was coated in grime and mud. Picking up the goggles, Matt inspected it carefully. No doubt about it. It was Tai's. Then he looked closer, and caught his breath. The back of the headband was soaked in blood. Numbly, Matt allowed the goggles to slip from his fingers. They clattered onto the ground.

"Hey, what's so importa…oh s***."

Matt turned to see Joe standing there equally stunned. Gomamon was uncharacteristically speechless, as he too recognised Tai's trademark goggles. Then the blond boy turned back. _He can't be gone. He can't be gone. He can't be gone…_

Suddenly, something snapped. He slammed both fists down into the hard ground, relishing the pain it brought. The pain fed his rage, as the anger that had been in his mind suddenly exploded into an all-consuming hatred. Throwing his head back, he howled his challenge into the sky, not caring if anyone heard.

"F*** you Diaboromon, I swear on my _life_ that I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth, and I will _kill_ you if it's the _last_ thing I do!!"

Tears streamed down his face unchecked, and Joe stepped back, frightened by the murderous hatred in his friend's voice. Matt was possessed with a killing rage, and Joe was suddenly fervently grateful that he was not Diaboromon.

**Author's note: Since this is the last fic in awhile, I have to address a couple things.

  1. As you can probably deduce, Willis will be coming in soon. The problem is, I don't know his digimon's (Terriermon is his rookie form) stats. I don't know his champion form, and his attacks, rookie and champion level. If anyone knows, would they please tell me in the review? Any interesting tidbits about Willis will also be welcome. What digi-egg does he possess anyway?
  2. I'm already beginning to work out the ending of the fic in my mind. I'm going to hold a poll. Would you like Omnimon (WarGreymon fused with MetalGarurumon, as in the movie), or Seraphimon (MagnaAngemon's Mega) to appear? I may not necessarily follow the results of this poll, the final decision rests with me, but I want to see what you guys think. If I go with Omnimon, expect the fic to focus more on Tai and Matt. If I go with Seraphimon, expect the fic to focus more on TK. (personally, I'm leaning more towards Seraphimon, but we'll see how this plays out). Either way, I'll have to start setting up now, so I need to decide. So what are you waiting for? Vote!
  3. Is anyone interesting in peer editing my fics before I post them? It's a real drag trying to edit your own fics. You miss things that others won't. If anyone's interested, don't tell me in the review, tell my straight by e-mail. My address is posted on my profile.


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